


By the Light of Night

by The_Jade_Goblin



Series: Blood Lotus [1]
Category: The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 魔道祖师 | Módào Zǔshī (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-it fic, Kinda, M/M, No beta we die like wwx, Post-Canon, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, Yunmeng Bros, Yunmeng bros reconcile, based mostly on the novel, fluff and deep talks, mystery thriller, protective!shizhui
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:41:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24251512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Jade_Goblin/pseuds/The_Jade_Goblin
Summary: When rumours of a demon lurking in the Burial Mounds reach Wei Wuxian's ears, he goes to investigate.But so does Jiang Cheng. And things rarely go to plan when the Twin Heroes of Yunmeng are involved.
Relationships: Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jīn Líng | Jīn Rúlán/Lán Yuàn | Lán Sīzhuī, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn
Series: Blood Lotus [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1750564
Comments: 46
Kudos: 442





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know a lot about chinese folklore and supernatural creatures, so i just very briefly googled the definition of a yaogui and rolled with my own interpretation of that, so don't take anything i say as accurate

Yiling. Such an unassuming, peaceful little town, that was thrust into history in the most violent and unfortunate of ways.

The vendors were all manned by unfamiliar faces now, unfamiliar figures roamed the little streets.

The old buildings made Wei Wuxian ache with nostalgia, the recognition of forgotten memories prickling at the back of his mind as he strode down the marketplace, Lan Shizhui silent by his side.

Eyes followed them, but whether it was because this part of the world hardly saw such noticeable looking cultivators, or they knew who he was, Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure.

It was most likely due to the bright and pristine Lan robes Shizhui wore; Wei Wuxian remembered Lan Wangji had been stared at in Yiling as well.

The Lan robes always caught attention in places like this.

For once, Wei Wuxian wasn’t bursting with never-ending babble and jokes.

Instead he was sullen and serious, an unnatural look on his face, Shizhui observed, having never seen a serious expression, with the exception of battle, on his senior’s face since the day he met him.

There were many things going through Shizhui’s head that he wanted to voice to Wei Wuxian, but he wasn’t sure how.

He didn’t remember much about the town, but vague déjà vu tingled in his mind as he looked around at the stalls and buildings.

This is where he had lived, a long time ago.

Perhaps Senior Wei was thinking thoughts of a similar nature.

Shizhui did not disturb his thinking, knowing how melancholy Wei Wuxian could become when he was caught up in the past.

He had seen it many times over the past few months of Wei Wuxian living in the Cloud Recesses.

He would often stop and look as though he were a world away, looking at something so insignificant to Shizhui, but so painful to him.

Shizhui didn’t understand the memories it brought forth to him, couldn’t understand the reason he became quiet and lowered his gaze, couldn’t comprehend the twisted feeling of guilt and loss tearing up his insides that often sent him searching for Hanguang-jun forlornly.

Shizhui felt for his senior in times like that, and often wished he could somehow share the burden that seemed to be crushing Wei Wuxian from the inside.

A lot of what he knew of the Yiling Patriarch was either exaggerated, or entirely fabricated.

He knew much more now, from both Hanguang-jun and Wei Wuxian himself, and topics they wouldn’t speak of, he could usually find information from Wen Ning.

Jingyi had been so impressed by tales of the young Yiling Patriarch he had done an entire report on his life, much to the ire of Lan Qiren.

He had promptly failed the assignment, but a disgruntled Lan Wangji had overturned the grade almost immediately.

Shizhui was very much his fathers’ son. He had a thirst for knowledge and a deep sense of justice, he was empathic and kind and brave, courteous and quiet, but with a sense of fun.

So, when rumblings began to come out of the Burial Mounds again, Shizhui was the first one to volunteer to investigate when Wei Wuxian announced he was headed to Yiling.

Hanguang-jun had initially set out with them, never one to be parted from Wei Wuxian for long, but strange occurrences on the road led him to part ways with them to investigate the source, while they went on ahead to Yiling.

No other cultivator had yet investigated.

The knowledge that Wei Wuxian was alive and keeping to himself in Gusu had spread to the most powerful Sects, and collectively they decided to leave the Burial Mounds well alone.

Despite no longer having a presence there, the grounds belonged to the Yiling Patriarch, and so long as nothing harmful came at them from there, they were willing to leave it alone.

“A-Yuan, look.”

Shizhui looked to the stall Wei Wuxian had stopped and pointed out, a soft, fond smile stretched out over his lips.

It was a stall filled with butterfly toys, just like those he had played with as a child. Shizhui smiled.

“You remember these right? Shall we get one A-Yuan?”

Shizhui gently shook his head. “It’s okay, I still have the one from Senior Wei.”

“Technically Lan Zhan bought it for you, not me. I just teased you.” Wei Wuxian grinned. “You had Lan Zhan wrapped around your finger the moment he set eyes on you. Spoiled you so much, he even let you sit on his lap at dinner! He doesn’t even let _me_ do that!”

“Senior Wei is much bigger than A-Yuan.” Shizhui giggled.

“Ah that’s true, but I bet Lan Zhan would still let you sit on his lap, no matter how big you get. He loves you so much,”

Shizhui stammered, his ears burning hot. “ _S-Senior Wei_!”

Wei Wuxian laughed merrily, twirling his dizi in his hand as they moved on.

Even if his appearance had changed, the people knew of Wei Wuxian’s demon flute, Chenqing.

He noticed a few people recoiled slightly at the sight of it. The change in Wei Wuxian’s expression was minute, but Shizhui saw the corners of his lips pull down, brows furrow into a small, sad frown.

Dejectedly, he pushed Chenqing back into his belt.

If he noticed how Shizhui came to stand a little closer to him, he didn’t say anything.

“E-Excuse me, Young Masters?” an elderly woman approached them, emerging from behind her stall with a hesitant look on her face.

They stopped as she approached.

“How can we help you Madam?” Shizhui asked kindly. “Does something trouble you?”

The women nodded, reaching out a trembling hand to point at Wei Wuxian’s flute. Wei Wuxian’s hand flew to it, as if he were trying to shield it from her sight, angling his body away from her.

“That flute…I remember…you wouldn’t happen to be –”

“The Yiling Patriarch? I am.” Wei Wuxian said sharply. Shizhui’s hand automatically came out to rest on his arm to calm him.

But the old woman did not give a look of fear or disgust, merely nodded as if that is what she wanted to hear.

“Are you here to deal with the creature in the mountains? The one in the Burial Mounds?”

“The creature comes from the Burial Mounds?” Shizhui asked. “Are you certain of this?”

“No one knows exactly if that’s where it’s coming from, but we suspect it. The mountain has been quiet for a while, but not any longer. Something evil lurks up there. I’m no cultivator, but even I could recognise it’s evil aura.”

“You could sense the resentful energy?” Wei Wuxian frowned. Non-cultivators could sometimes feel unease if the resentful energy was strong enough, but to be able to feel evil in the air, it had to be an extremely powerful and dark creature. “Where did you feel it? Have you seen it?”

“I have not seen the creature no, but I did feel a dark energy, like a shadow hidden from my view. I was at the base of the mountain when I felt it.”

“Why were you so near to the Burial Mounds?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“Ah, because you see, my son has been missing for three days. A little over a week ago, we sent the youngest grandchild to the market for potatoes, but he never returned. The boy likes to explore and wander off, he’s easily distracted, he’s wandered off task before and always come back, but after a few days my son went out looking for him. He found his shoe by the base of the mountain.

Not long after that, he went up there in search of him, and neither have been back since. My daughter-in-law has been worried sick, and so yesterday I left her in charge of the stall and went to the mountain’s base myself to see if anything was there. I felt a deep feeling of foreboding coming from the mountain, so I did not go up myself, I stayed at the base when I started to feel the aura of something evil and dangerous.

I came back quickly and tried to reassure my daughter-in-law that they will be back soon. I didn’t think it would be long before cultivators showed up, but I did not imagine it would be the Yiling Patriarch himself. With you here, surely we will be saved from whatever evil is lurking there.”

“Most people would be concerned that the creature up there is something I created or put there myself.” Wei Wuxian said, with a quirk of his brow. “But not you?”

“Mm, I remember you from when you were here last, with those Wens.” The old lady nodded. “You always bought potatoes from me instead of turnips. You never did us any harm, why would you start now?”

Wei Wuxian laughed. “Ah, it’s you auntie! I didn’t recognise you, you’ve changed!”

“As have you, Wei Wuxian.”

“You must remember A-Yuan then, he’s a lot bigger than he was then.”

The old woman took a look at Shizhui, and the young boy blushed as she chuckled. “I hardly recognised the young man. What a fine young gentleman you’ve grown up to be.”

“Thank you, madam,” Shizhui bowed awkwardly, face still flushed. “If you could tell us anything else you know about the creature, it would be appreciated.”

“Sadly, there isn’t much else to tell. I heard tell of another young man going missing recently as well, up the mountain.”

“So, it’s taking people into the Burial Mounds.” Wei Wuxian murmured. “I thought I cleansed the area properly last time…maybe my array was damaged again. We should go up there and investigate.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Hanguang-jun?” Shizhui asked.

“Lan Zhan will catch up. Don’t worry Shizhui, there’s very little I can’t control on my territory. Whatever is up there might be attracted to the resentful energy trapped inside, if that’s the case it’ll be a simple matter of cleansing it and sending the creature away. If not…it might be more complicated. We need to see it to make sure.”

The two thanked the woman for her information and headed in the direction of the Burial Mounds.

They fell into a thoughtful silence again, both trying to formulate theories on what could be hiding up the mountain.

The very first time Lan Shizhui had seen the Burial Mounds, he’d been tied up and gagged with his fellow disciples, scared and alone.

This time he was less afraid, though an air of fear lurked around the mountain base, the calmness of the area almost tricked one into believing it was a serene place.

Fuzzy memories tickled at the back of Shizhui’s mind as he looked up the mountain path.

He was about to step forward to begin the ascent, when in the distance, a dog barked.

Wei Wuxian froze.

The barking got closer, and suddenly Wei Wuxian was scrambling behind Shizhui, shaking like a leaf as he tried to hide behind the young boy, gripping his shoulders in a death grip.

“S-Shizhui, help!” he shrieked. “A dog, it’s a dog!”

As the dog came into view, Shizhui almost relaxed if not for the tight grip on his shoulders. He recognised the spirit dog.

“Senior Wei it’s okay, it’s Fairy. It’s just Fairy, Fairy won’t hurt you Senior Wei it’s alright.”

“What are you doing here?!”

Jin Ling soon came into view, never far from his dog, followed by his scowling uncle.

Wei Wuxian hid behind Shizhui further as Fairy got closer to them, blubbering like a madman. Shizhui bowed awkwardly with his senior clinging to him.

“Sect Leader Jiang, Sect Leader Jin.” He greeted. “Sect Leader Jin, would you mind taking Fairy away? It’s scaring Senior Wei.”

“Fairy, go. Go wait for us in town.” Jin Ling shooed the dog away, but Wei Wuxian only emerged from behind Shizhui when it was far out of sight. He still trembled.

“What are you two doing here?” he asked.

“I asked you first!” Jin Ling retorted.

“We had heard of a creature kidnapping people in Yiling and came to investigate.” Shizhui answered diplomatically, before either Jin Ling or Wei Wuxian could start an argument. “The townspeople believe it’s lurking in the Burial Mounds, so Senior Wei felt it his duty to come and get rid of it. He’s the most experiences cultivator in these types of matters.”

Jiang Cheng scoffed.

“Sect Leader Jiang, Sect Leader Jin, I assume you have also come to investigate?”

“Yunmengjiang is the closest sect to Yiling, the area is under our obligation. When I heard of the Burial Mounds acting up again, I decided to investigate myself. It’s good experience for Jin Ling as well.” Jiang Cheng said. “We don’t need your input, we’ll be fine on our own, you don’t need to concern yourself with this area.”

“And what if whatever up there is a demon created by the flood of resentful energy from something I created? How will you defeat it?” Wei Wuxian challenged. “I have more experience controlling resentful energy, if whatever is up there is feeding on the energy there it will be stronger than monsters you’re used to dealing with.”

“I know how to exorcise demonic creatures Wei Wuxian. You forget I have Zidian.”

“And what good will that do if the creature isn’t a spirit or a corpse? You can’t go up there blind Jiang Cheng.”

“I would suggest, if we pool all our experience and resources together, we have a far better change at defeating the creature together,” Shizhui interrupted.

Jiang Cheng bristled at the implicated he needed help on a night-hunt, but surprisingly Jin Ling nodded.

“I agree. Demonic cultivation is Wei Wuxian’s specialty, and exorcism is ours. We’d work better as a team. Right Uncle?”

Faced with Jin Ling’s expectant face and Lan Shizhui’s logic, Jiang Cheng couldn’t exactly find a reason to disagree. So grudgingly, he agreed, and the four headed up the mountain together.


	2. Chapter 2

Wei Wuxian took the lead, the juniors – he refused to think of Jin Ling and Shizhui has anything other than his boys – were in the middle, and Jiang Cheng brought up the rear.

The juniors relayed what they knew of the case so far, exchanging theories, while Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian remained silent and alert, looking out for the creature.

The further up the mountain they got, the thicker the resentful energy became. Jiang Cheng unsheathed his sword as they reached the summit.

Wei Wuxian strode towards the cave without a second glance, activating an old talisman. It glowed bright red for a moment, before burning away completely.

Wei Wuxian flinched as if he’d been burned.

“What was that?” Jin Ling asked.

“…something has tampered with my talismans. My talismans don’t deteriorate. Normal energy can’t affect them…this is something unnatural that’s done this. It won’t respond to my energy it’s…strange.” Wei Wuxian frowned, trying another of his old talismans, only to have it also explode upon touching it.

Suddenly, a shadow seemed to descend over the sun. Shizhui heard an unnatural roar and felt a surge of energy that punched the wind out of him.

“Jin Ling!”

What happened next seemed to occur in slow motion.

As Shizhui spun to see what was happening, a large shadowy creature lunged at Jin Ling’s back before the young sect leader could even turn to react.

Jiang Cheng was faster, and pushed him out of the way, making him stumble into Shizhui.

They both landed on the ground and Shizhui heard a sickening snap from Jin Ling’s arm, but his wail of pain was drowned out by a gurgling sound.

“Jiang Cheng!”

“Uncle!”

The creature had sunk teeth deeply into Jiang Cheng’s neck, the shadow seeming to swallow his body, staining his deep purple robes black wherever it touched.

Shizhui was overtaken by the glowing red eyes in the shadowy shapeless face.

Wei Wuxian darted forward, throwing a talisman at the creature. It shrieked on impact, rearing back and releasing Jiang Cheng.

The shadow seemed to grow then, an unnatural wind surrounding its shapeless body.

“Inside, now!” Wei Wuxian shouted. “ _Run_!”

Shizhui scrambled with Jin Ling, hauling the young sect leader to his feet and supporting him as they stumbled back with Jiang Cheng.

Wei Wuxian pulled out his dizi and played a few sharp notes, stopping the shadow in its tracks. He stepped backwards slowly as the others backed into the cave.

The shadow followed them but couldn’t penetrate past where Wei Wuxian stood. He played slow, dark sounds, keeping the shadow at bay as they fled.

As he stepped back over the threshold of the cave’s entrance, he suddenly blew a loud note and summoned resentful energy into the palm of his hand, slamming it down onto the ground.

He whistled without the dizi now, drawing patterns in the dirt with his finger, pushing shadowy energy into the lines of the talisman he drew.

A dark red barrier erected itself at the entrance, and the shadow shrieked when it touched it.

It withdrew, scattering and disappearing as Wei Wuxian sent the barrier’s energy flying out of the cave and after it.

He blew several notes with Chenqing, and from the outside, corpses ambled towards him.

“Follow it. Find it. Eliminate it!” he ordered the corpses, clapping his hands. “Do not rest until it is dead!”

The corpses, surrounded by resentful energy, sprang to action, also disappearing into the trees. Only then did Wei Wuxian turn from the entrance.

“It’s a yaogui.” He muttered, kneeling beside Jin Ling to inspect his arm. “A powerful one.”

“What’s it doing here?” Jiang Cheng grunted, pressing down on the wound on his neck. “Don’t yaoguis have to be summoned?”

“Not in every case, but…I suspect you might be right. It’s not here naturally, there’s not nearly enough resentful energy here to satisfy it. It’s been placed here, but it won’t leave on its own. How’s your neck?”

“I’ll live.”

Wei Wuxian nodded, fishing out some bandages from his sleeve. “Jin Ling, your arm is broken.”

“Wow really I didn’t notice – ow! Hey!”

“That’s what disrespectful sect leaders get.” Wei Wuxian teased, threatening to poke the broken arm again, only stopping when Jin Ling flinched and stayed silent.

“Shizhui, see if you can find something around here to make a splint for his arm. I need to see to our other disrespectful sect leader.”

Shizhui nodded, setting Jin Ling down before scurrying off around the cave to find materials.

Wei Wuxian turned his attentions to Jiang Cheng, pouring water from his waterskin over the wound to clean it out before bandaging it up under the torn robes.

“Stop squirming, you’re making this harder.”

“You’re not exactly being gentle.” Jiang Cheng muttered. “You think I trust your medical skills?”

“You’ll live, stop complaining. Would you rather bleed out? Strange that it bit you…it’s odd behavior for a yaogui.”

“This whole thing is odd for a yaogui if you ask me. Are you sure that’s what it is?”

“You saw it closer than me. You tell me what it was. We all felt that energy, what resentful creature makes a cloud like that? Let me take a look at – “Wei Wuxian cut off suddenly, staring down at Jiang Cheng’s arm with wide eyes.

“What?” Jiang Cheng looked down, heart sinking when he saw a blackened mark over his skin, almost resembling scorched skin, spiraling over his shoulder. “…a curse mark…well we know why it bit now.”

“A curse mark?” Jin Ling’s eyes doubled in size. “How bad is it? Will Uncle be alright?”

“Bad enough to be worried.” Wei Wuxian examined the blackened skin. “It looks…cruel. All curse marks are but this…this has malice behind it. It’s a powerful curse, see how dark the skin is? Almost like charcoal. There is intent behind this, and not just from the yaogui.”

“So, was it summoned for revenge?” Shizhui theorized. “An enemy of Sect Leader Jiang, perhaps?”

Jiang Cheng considered it a second, as did Wei Wuxian, before simultaneously shaking their heads.

“It leapt for Jin Ling first, not Jiang Cheng.” Wei Wuxian said.

“And if it were revenge against me, it would make more sense to send the creature directly to the Yunmengjiang area. There’s no guarantee I would have come here myself.” Jiang Cheng added.

“If it came for me first…then is it after me?” Jin Ling asked, looking panicked. “Who wants me dead that badly?”

“Calm down, we don’t know if it was even sent for revenge yet. We need more information.” Wei Wuxian said. “We can think about the creature’s intent later, right now we have surviving to concern ourselves with. This curse will spread. If not contained, it will slowly paralyze the body, killing it from the inside, until it reaches the heart and poisons it. If it doesn’t poison your core first.”

“And how long will that take?”

Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue. “Hard to say. I’ll be able to work out a timetable once it begins to spread. I need to see how fast it cultivates. But the more we wait, the more powerful it will become. It’s designed to hurt. Are you in pain Jiang Cheng?”

“I can bear it.”

Wei Wuxian looked up at his face, seeing his eyes almost glazed over in pain, his forehead sweating.

“Describe it to me.”

“Like…shooting fire through my veins.”

Wei Wuxian hummed, looking at the curse mark thoughtfully.

“Will it come back Senior Wei? Are we safe here?” Shizhui asked, wrapping Jin Ling’s arm in his makeshift splint.

“My barrier should buy us a day at least, but we shouldn’t rely on staying hidden – Jiang Cheng has lost a lot of blood and Jin Ling’s arm is broken. But we might be in luck, resentful energy is more powerful than blood talismans when dealing with yaogui. It certainly didn’t seem to like it. If we’re lucky, my corpses will find it. Even if they do though, I doubt they’ll be powerful enough to take it down.”

“Which means we’ll have to go after it.” Jin Ling said. “It moves so fast; I barely saw it! How are you supposed to keep up with such a creature? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Yaogui like that are very rare. I’ve only ever seen one like it once.” Wei Wuxian said, pulling out some paper and settling it on his lap.

“You’ve faced a yaogui like this before Senior Wei?” Shizhui asked, eyes wide with awe.

Wei Wuxian nodded, and bit into his finger with his canine, drawing blood. He began to draw a talisman over the page as he spoke.

“During the Sunshot campaign, one of the Wen Sect leaders had summoned a yaogui to protect himself in his tower. It tore through a few factions of our forces before we realized what it was and retreated.”

“What did you do?” Jin Ling asked.

“I ensnared it.” Wei Wuxian answered. “I took its resentful energy into my soul, let it consume me.”

“That could have killed you!” Shizhui cried. “Zewu-Jun says taking a spirit’s energy into yourself is highly dangerous, you could lose yourself completely to the spirit.”

“Which is why no one attempted it. But I’ve always been one to push the boundaries, right Jiang Cheng? Besides, it’s the only way to snare a yaogui. When its energy was intertwined with mine, I exerted my control over it. It was a long process, the yaogui was strong. But I managed to force it to obey, I broke its will and turned it against its master. I forced it…inside, the Wen leader, consumed his golden core with its dark energy. It killed them both, the energies cancelled each other out, but…it wasn’t a quick process. Nor was it painless.”

The juniors were silent. Shizhui couldn’t believe his smiling, carefree Senior Wei had done something so…so _cruel_.

So, this was the true face of the Yiling Patriarch.

Shizhui shook his head. No, that was the Yiling Patriarch, not his Senior Wei. Wei Wuxian and the Yiling Patriarch were not one in the same.

“So that is the power of demonic cultivation…I can see why the sects were so scared of you.” Jin Ling said.

Shizhui barely held back from hitting him. Wei Wuxian just made a noise of agreement.

“I was…in a dark place, then. It was not a good time for me. They had every reason to fear me and my powers.” He agreed.

“We wouldn’t have stopped the Wen-dogs without them.” Jiang Cheng muttered.

Wei Wuxian snorted humorlessly.

“Of course, you all praised my powers when they were turned towards our enemy, but I knew when the time came, I would be condemned. At times even I feared me, I can’t blame them. You kids have to understand at the time, our entire sect had been brutally slaughtered by the Wens…we watched our – Jiang Cheng’s – parents die, all the people we’d grown up with, and I had been thrown into the Burial Mounds to die myself, tortured by the creatures that bred here until I learned instead to control them. I came back a different person. I look back and barely recognise myself from that time. The war changed us all in such ways, it was a dark time for everyone.”

Shizhui nodded sympathetically. “I understand.”

“How did you force a yaogui into obedience though? I thought that wasn’t even possible. Don’t yaogui, once summoned, take on lives of their own?” Jin Ling asked.

“Ah, well yes. We asked ourselves the same question, how do you control a being of raw power and pure cruelty? The answer? Let me show you.” Wei Wuxian held up the paper he’d been drawing on, showing the boys a hastily constructed talisman.

They were nonplussed, having no idea what the talisman was for.

Before they could ask any questions, Wei Wuxian had slapped the piece of paper onto Jiang Cheng’s shoulder, and the talisman glowed red, seeping into the blackened skin like a brand.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes widened.

“Wei Wuxian, what are you doing? You can’t – “

“It’s alright Jiang Cheng.”

“Stop you fool, it’ll kill you! You can’t do this!”

The two boys looked at each other, confused and worried.

What was Wei Wuxian doing? Then Jin Ling gasped and pointed.

Shizhui turned back to see the blackened skin disappearing from Jiang Cheng’s skin, and it slowly began to appear on Wei Wuxian’s arm instead.

He was transferring the curse mark from Jiang Cheng to himself!

“Senior Wei!” Shizhui cried, but it was too late, the curse had been transferred to Wei Wuxian.

As soon as the talisman’s glow faded and disappeared, Wei Wuxian fell back clutching his arm with a pained groaned, already visibly affected by the curse.

Shizhui rushed over to him to hold him up. Jiang Cheng bristled angrily.

“You idiot!” he raged. “What’s your big plan now, idiot? What does this achieve, other than to satisfy your damn need to be a hero! I didn’t need your help; I didn’t ask for you to take the curse on yourself! Dammit Wei Wuxian!”

Shizhui’s eye twitched.

“Relax…they always come back to kill the cursed person. We just have to wait…” Wei Wuxian answered quietly, already sounding so much weaker than before. “Now you’ll be strong enough to take it down when it comes.”

“All thanks to your selfless act!” Jiang Cheng scoffed. “Merciful Wei Wuxian sacrifices himself for others again! Don’t expect thanks for this, I don’t need your pity. I could have taken it down, curse or no curse, and now we’re a man down because of your stupidity! You never think things through, do you? You just do whatever you feel like and let everyone else clean up your mess! Just like when we were kids, you just had to piss off Wen Chao and bring our whole sect down with you, all for Lan Wangji and a girl who never looked at you again!”

“That is _enough_!” Shizhui shouted.

There was a shocked silence as Shizhui’s outraged shout echoed off the cave walls. Shizhui got to his feet, fists shaking in rage as he glared down at the sect leader.

“How – how dare you!” he yelled. “How dare you speak to my senior like that! How dare you judge his intentions! You – you think he did this to be a _hero_? That he wants gratitude from you? Ever since I met Senior Wei, he has done nothing but help people who needed him and has never once asked for anything in return! Senior Wei would never turn his back on someone that needed help, no matter who they are! He would have done the same for anyone here. He’s spent his whole life sacrificing for you, and not once did he ever ask you for anything!”

He lifted a hand to point down at Wei Wuxian, who was staring up at him in shocked silence.

“Wei Wuxian is the kindest, most generous and selfless man I have ever met! He helps people because he’s a good person, not because he wants to be a hero! He took your curse onto himself, for the same reason he cut out his own golden core for you, because you’re his brother and he _loves_ you! He would do _anything_ for you! And he would never ask for anything in return! And you treat him like dirt, like everything is his fault! You treat his kindness like things to be discarded, like they’re worthless! As if any other person in the world would willing tear out their own cores to give to another, without ever even acknowledging it because he knew the guilt would eat you up, and because he knew you’d just hate him even more!

No matter what he does you hate him and throw him away! No matter how he’s always believed in you and stood by your side, and when his actions began to hurt your reputation, he took himself away so as to not hurt you! So how dare you – sect leader jiang – this man cared about my clan when no one else did! He saw us as people when everyone else saw us a plague to be exterminated, even though we had done nothing! He took the rest of us Wens in when the Jin Sect was killing us in labour camps, when no one else wanted to help, he came to save us.

He took us away and gave us a life we would have never had, he treated us like human beings and gave us our pride back, our purpose back. What did you do?! This man raised me like his own son because he couldn’t stand the thought that the war, he had helped fight left me without a family, so he became mine! He would do anything for the people he loves, and the only thing he has ever wanted from you was love and acceptance, and you can’t even give him that because you’re so wrapped in your own selfishness and insecurities!”

“ _A-Yuan_! A-Yuan that’s enough!” Wei Wuxian struggled to his feet to grab Shizhui’s shoulder. “A-Yuan stop, you don’t need to defend me.”

“Yes, I do _a-die_ ,” Shizhui turned to him, tears glistening in his eyes. “If I don’t, who else will?”

“A-Yuan…”

Wei Wuxian brought the young man to his chest, letting him cry out his anger.

He was beginning to feel sluggish and dizzy from the curse, but though he swayed a little he managed to stay upright.

“I want you to apologise to Sect Leader Jiang, A-Yuan.” He murmured, as the teenager released his old on him. “Your father didn’t raise you to yell at your seniors, and neither did I.”

Shizhui sniffled. “You yelled at seniors all the time when you were my age, father told me.”

“Well I was a bad kid back then, and Lan Zhan used to scold me for it. Don’t copy my example, think of where my behaviour got me. GusuLan have rules for a reason. Now please apologise to the Sect Leader,”

Shizhui’s eyes shifted to Jiang Cheng, who still seemed to be in shock. “I’m sorry…” he looked back at Wei Wuxian. “But I can’t. I won’t apologise to him.”

“A-Yuan!”

“You’re my a-die, and you don’t deserve this treatment. I’ll take any punishment you or father seem fit, but I won’t apologise for standing up for my family.” Shizhui said firmly.

Wei Wuxian sighed. “You will tell Lan Zhan what you did when you get home. He will punish you; I don’t have the heart for it.”

“Father would agree with my words.”

Wei Wuxian grinned at his son’s defiance. “Maybe, but Hanguang-jun is disciplined enough not to say such things to esteemed cultivators. Words have consequences A-Yuan, we can’t just say what we feel, even if we’re in the right. Face and respect are very important things to maintain.”

“…As I recall, you always said you what felt, Wei Wuxian.” Jiang Cheng finally spoke, getting to his feet slowly. “He really is your son, isn’t he? That kind of willfulness is hard to grow out of, even Jin Ling got that from you, I think.”

“Hey!”

Shizhui quirked a grin at Jin Ling’s offended shout. He straightened up when Jiang Cheng looked at him, letting Wei Wuxian pull him slightly behind his arm.

“You don’t need to apologise to me.” Jiang Cheng said. “You don’t have to like me either, it would not be the first time a Lan has hated me because of Wei Wuxian.”

Shizhui went to speak up, but Wei Wuxian covered his mouth and shook his head.

“Don’t start a fight with Jiang Cheng, it’s something you’ll never win. Trust me, it doesn’t pay to be on his bad side. Let it go, while he’s being generous to you now.” He said.

Shizhui lowered his gaze and nodded, bowing in apology to Wei Wuxian.

“Forgive me Senior Wei, I have caused you to lose face.”

“Last thing he care about is face.” Jiang Cheng commented.

Wei Wuxian chuckled. “True. Shizhui, I want you to take Jin Ling back to Lotus Pier. With his arm broken he’s in a lot more risk of being caught unawares by the yaogui, and Lotus Pier is the closest sect to here, can I trust you to get him back safe?

“Yes Senior. But I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here alone.” Shizhui answered.

“I won’t be alone. I’ll be with Jiang Cheng.” Wei Wuxian grinned.

“That’s what I worry about,” Shizhui said grimly.

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill him just yet.” Jiang Cheng muttered. “Got a yaogui to kill first.”

“I can still help; I don’t need to go.” Jin Ling protested as Shizhui approached him.

“Jin Ling, your sword arm is broken.” Shizhui said gently. “You are the Jin Sect Leader and you have no successor; we can’t lose you.”

“Uncle is also a sect leader without an heir.” Jin Ling argued.

“Yeah but I’ve been a cultivator 20 years longer than you,” Jiang Cheng responded. “And my sword arm isn’t broken. Let Shizhui take you or I’ll break your other arm.”

“Plenty of cultivators get injured and can still fight, I’m not useless don’t treat me like a baby! Both of you took on worse monsters than this with worse injuries when you were my age! Why do I always have to give up my glory?”

“You think this is about glory? It’s about survival, and the smartest course of action. You can’t fight like that; you’ll get yourself killed.”

“You’re always keeping me out of things! So, what if I die? At least I will die doing something brave, instead of cowering behind my uncle all the time! You have to let me stay uncle; I’ll prove to you I can do it!”

“Jin Rulan.” Wei Wuxian approached Jin Ling, forcing him to look up at him.

The boy looked surprised, his birth name was very rarely ever said, but hearing Wei Wuxian of all people say his birth name, while looking at him in such a strange way, made him almost want to cry.

“You are my _shijie’s_ only son, my only nephew. I am not losing another member of my family, never again.”

Jin Ling looked away from Wei Wuxian’s intense gaze but found he couldn’t look away for long. He had to look back up, feeling his hand weight heavily on his shoulder. He was trembling.

“I gave you your name before you were even born.” Wei Wuxian’s smile was so sad Jin Ling thought his heart was breaking. “I wasn’t there to protect you as you grew up. I couldn’t protect your parents from my own power. But now I’m here, and you’ve grown into such a strong young man. Listen to your uncle, he might be harsh and seem unfair at times, but that’s only because he loves you and wants to protect you, as our only sister’s child. A-Ling, you are the only thing I have left of my _shijie_ , and I won’t let you get killed to save your pride. Go to Lotus Pier with A-Yuan, please.”

“I…o-okay…I will, U-uncle Wei…” Jin Ling’s voice was wet with tears, but he didn’t let them fall.

“I’ll open the way for you, fly safely you two. Once you reach Lotus Pier, send a message to Lan Zhan. He must be careful if he intends on following us,” Wei Wuxian was all business again as he headed for the barrier with the two juniors, concentrating his energy to open a hole big enough for them to squeeze through.

“Don’t cry boys, we’ll see you soon!” he teased.

“Who’s crying?” Jin Ling said gruffly, wiping away his tears on his sleeve, while Shizhui just let his tears fall. “We know you’ll be fine! You better be fine!”

“Stay safe!”

“You too, _a-die_.” Shizhui mounted his sword, pulling a protesting Jin Ling on with him by the waist, and flew off.

Wei Wuxian’s strength seemed to last until the kids were on the horizon before he slowly sank to the ground, breathing faint.

Jiang Cheng cursed and rushed over to him, feeling his pulse point with two fingers.

“Idiot.” He muttered.

He rolled up Wei Wuxian’s sleeve to check on the curse mark, and his blood ran cold when he saw his arm was now already completely covered in black.

Following it, he saw it ran all the way up to his shoulder and was already making its way down his back and side.

“Why is it spreading so fast? It shouldn’t be this powerful.”

“It feeds…on resentful energy.” Wei Wuxian murmured. “It didn’t affect you as badly because your core is strong. This body’s core is weak and is filled with resentful energy. It was designed…for a demonic cultivator.”

Jiang Cheng cursed.

“Did you know this when you took it from me?” he demanded.

Weakly, Wei Wuxian nodded.

“Idiot! You could die!” Jiang Cheng had to shut his eyes for a moment, letting out a rough breath. “Let’s just kill this thing. If we kill it, the curse will go away yes? Then let’s go find it instead of waiting like sitting ducks. Can you walk?”

“I think so…might need help getting up…”

Jiang Cheng slipped his arm around Wei Wuxian’s waist, holding his blackened arm around his shoulders, and got him off the ground.

They walked like that to the barrier, where he had to release him so Wei Wuxian could destroy the barrier. He sighed when it was taken down.

“That feels better.” He murmured.

“That was consuming your energy the whole time?” Jiang Cheng questioned.

“Resentful energy has to be maintained at all times. It’s not like the traditional cultivation method, you need to exert your will onto the spell, and if your focus slips for a second the power has a way of backfiring onto you. Once you learn to control it with your willpower like I do, the exertion becomes second nature, but it is a little draining at times.” Wei Wuxian explained.

Jiang Cheng looked at his brother with a mixture of awe and something else Wei Wuxian couldn’t place.

Was it respect? Suspicion?

He had always been wary of Wei Wuxian’s cultivation method, but even he had to admit it was powerful, and took a skill to wield.

As they explored the woods in search of the demon, Wei Wuxian slowed further and sagged more, until Jiang Cheng needed to almost carry him to keep him walking.

“The curse is spreading.” He said. “You feel like you’re on fire.”

Wei Wuxian hissed slightly in pain. “It’s leaving the heart alone…paralyzing my limbs to keep me alive as long as possible, but immobile. It wants to kill me slowly. Whoever summoned this yaogui…it’s personal. This _is_ revenge, but it wasn’t aimed for you or Jin Ling – it came for me.”

It made sense. The curse was designed specifically to inflict the worst pain on a demonic cultivator, the yaogui was hidden in the Burial Mounds, and it went after members of Wei Wuxian’s family before him. It was a punishment, a warning, a curse specifically for him.

“Could it be a Wen? Someone that survived the war?” Jiang Cheng theorized. “You killed that Wen leader with this exact method, it can’t be a coincidence.”

“No, it can’t be. But all the Wen leadership died, we know that for sure, you and I hunted them down to the last.”

“Unless this yaogui is that same Wen leader.” Jiang Cheng’s face looked dark, the implication unpleasant.

For someone to come back as yaogui, and one this twisted and full of rage…

“Someone still had to summon it. Someone that’s alive here and now, someone who personally wants me dead in the slowest way possible.”

“That could be any number of people. You don’t exactly have a knack for making friends.”

Wei Wuxian chuckled weakly. “You’re joking, you’re actually making a joke.”

“It’s been known to happen.”

Wei Wuxian’s reply was cut off by a guttural roar. The yaogui had found them!

Stumbling, Jiang Cheng lowered Wei Wuxian to the ground against a tree, and unsheathed his sword.

As the shadow descended, Wei Wuxian fished out his dizi and began to play, every breath painful, as he blew as hard as he could, keeping it slow and distracted enough for Jiang Cheng to have a fighting chance.

His melody forced the yaogui into a solid physical form, and it wasn’t happy about it.

Unable to unleash its energy in a way it was used to, it lashed out like an injured animal, movements slightly clumsy with rage.

Jiang Chen could match it like this, blow for blow, but every collision against the creature ate away at his energy like a plague.

The entire demon’s body seemed to sap the life out of anything, the grass it touched shriveled and died, the very air it occupied seemed to be dead.

Every time it collided with Jiang Cheng’s sword, it sizzled, eating chunks of its spiritual energy like acid.

The longer the fight went on, the slower Jiang Cheng’s movements became, and the more times he was caught by claws as he dodged.

He couldn’t keep this up, and Wei Wuxian’s strength was also failing.

The curse had strengthened in the yaogui’s presence, and it seemed like the very air Wei Wuxian was breathing was poisoned.

Every breath was agony. He felt so heavy, desperate to close his eyes and rest. But he knew if he did, they’d both be dead.

If he stopped playing for a moment, the yaogui would finish them.

As the dizi’s music grew fainter with Wei Wuxian’s strength subsiding, the demon grew stronger.

It stretched out with its shadow and seemed to catch Jiang Cheng’s legs, freezing him on the spot.

He couldn’t move, so he braced himself with his sword, ready to face it to the last.

A shadow crept up Wei Wuxian’s throat and squeezed, halting his breath and stopping the flute.

At last, the beast was freed. It materialized and lunged for the paralysed Jiang Cheng. It would cut him in half!

_“A-Cheng! **NO**!” _

Flashes of memory burst in front of Wei Wuxian’s eyes.

His _shijie’s_ lifeless eyes, her hand on his cheek, her pushing him aside at the last moment, terror in her eyes, the sword going through her, the blood dripping down her chin…

_“I am not losing another member of my family, never again.”_

With his last burst of energy, Wei Wuxian lifted himself up, and he ran.


	3. Chapter 3

He planted himself in front of his brother, and the demon hit him full force, talons sinking deep into his chest. It lifted him up by the throat, choking the life out of him.

Wei Wuxian could no longer feel anything.

He was vaguely aware of blood trickling down from his mouth, of blood gushing from the holes in his chest, his stomach, his sides…the shadow surrounded him, cutting off his air, his sight, his hearing…

He heard a roar, and suddenly the creature was reeling in pain, screeching.

He fell to the ground in a heap, a bloody ragdoll on the forest floor, as Jiang Cheng banished the creature with Zidian.

It fled, releasing his paralytic hold on him, and he came crashing down beside Wei Wuxian, rolling him over to his back, hands flying to try and stem the bleeding.

But there were wounds everywhere, there was too much blood.

Wei Wuxian’s breathing was hardly there, ragged and halting, his eyes unfocused and glazed over.

He was dying, Jiang Cheng had seen that look in many a man’s eye on the battlefield.

Jiang Cheng hauled him up, cradling him in his arms.

He had once held his sister in his arms like this as she died.

Now he was forced to watch his brother die too.

“Idiot! Idiot! Wei Wuxian!” he choked, his hand coming down to cup Wei Wuxian’s cheek, bring his eyes up to meet his. “What have you done? Why did you do that?”

Wei Wuxian drew a painful breath, staggering out his words. “Because…you’re my… _shidi_ …”

Jiang Cheng shook his head uselessly, tears coming unbidden from his eyes down his cheeks.

“I promised…to protect you…even if…I died…” Wei Wuxian had the audacity to smile at him then.

“ _Shixiong_ …you can’t die. You can’t! Don’t leave me A-Xian!”

“A-Cheng…I’m sorry…for everything…” Wei Wuxian coughed, blood spurting onto his robes. “I’ll make sure…to give _shijie_ your love…”

As Wei Wuxian’s eyes closed, Jiang Cheng pulled his head to his chest, sobbing without shame.

Once, he would have reveled in Wei Wuxian’s death.

Once, he’d even caused it. He swore he would kill him again if Wei Wuxian ever returned. But this…this he never wanted.

He took it back; he took it back! He changed his mind dammit! He wanted his brother back!

“Wei Ying!”

There was a flash of white that caught Jiang Cheng’s attention. Never before had he been so happy to see Hanguang-jun.

“Lan Wangji! A-Xian, he –”

“What has happened?” Lan Wangji was at Wei Wuxian’s side faster than Jiang Cheng could blink and had him out of his arms before he could even register the action.

He held Wei Wuxian protectively, a smooth, perfect hand slipped out of his long white sleeve and ran tentatively over his bloody and blackened skin, spiritual energy seeping out. He was trying to heal him.

Hanguang-jun looked at him as though he’d caught him in the act of murdering Wei Wuxian, his sharp gaze demanding an explanation.

“A yaogui.” Jiang Cheng hurried to explain. “We were night-hunting, and it came out of nowhere for Jin Ling. It got me, placed a curse on me, but A-Xian he – he took it away, transferred it to himself. We came to find it and kill it, but it was too powerful, it overwhelmed us. It paralysed me, I thought for sure I was finished, but he stood in front of me and it – it tore him up…Hanguang-jun, save him. You have to save him!”

“I will.” Lan Wangji’s attention was now fully on Wei Wuxian, and Jiang Cheng saw with relief the worst of the gashes were beginning to seal. “He’s still breathing, barely. His spiritual energy is faint.”

“We need to get him to Lotus Pier immediately, get him a healer.”

Lan Wangji gave only a curt nod in response, focused on sealing as many wounds as he could as he mounted Bichen with Wei Wuxian in his arms.

Jiang Cheng wasn’t far behind him, watching his brother in Lan Wangji’s arms anxiously.

Even in another’s body, he had never looked so small and fragile as he did right now.

Suddenly, the distance to Lotus Pier felt like half a world away.

. . .

The first day, Wei Wuxian didn’t even stir. His chest rose and fell shallowly with his short breaths, but he remained as silent and still as the grave.

When he’d been brought in, Sizhui burst into tears. Normally he was so well reserved, like Lan Wangji, but that night he couldn’t be consoled for hours. No one scolded him.

Lan Wangji and Sizhui played Cleansing almost the entire night, trying to rid the curse’s effects from Wei Wuxian.

Its hold on him subsided, little by little, but it was still as powerful as ever.

It had progressed over much of Wei Wuxian’s body by the time his injures had been sealed and ceased to bleed, and even Lan Wangji and Sizhui’s combined playing only managed to force the curse mark to retreat enough to keep Wei Wuxian breathing.

But he barely even twitched, lying in bed like a corpse. Lan Wangji played Cleansing until his fingers bled.

The second day, there was little change. One could see Wei Wuxian’s eyes moving beneath the lids, twitching in his fingers, but other than that he remained silent, and still.

Jiang Cheng had been like a storm cloud since Wei Wuxian was brought to Lotus Pier.

He hadn’t even entered the room that contained his brother.

He ordered preparations to protect Lotus Pier from the yaogui should it come after them, ordered extra training regiments, sent word to his contacts in other sects, trying to pool together any information about who could have summoned the yaogui, and how to kill it.

Lan Wangji didn’t leave Wei Wuxian’s side. Playing Cleansing, making him drink tiny sips of water, routinely tending to his wounds and checking of his curse mark, sometimes just sitting and staring.

Sizhui brought him food, and tried to convince him to rest, that he would look after Wei Wuxian in his absence, but nothing he said would sway Lan Wangji. He remained at his partner’s side.

The third day, Jiang Cheng came to see Wei Wuxian.

He slid the door open quietly, almost demurely, like he was trying not to be noticed.

That was impossible however, with Lan Wangji posted constantly at Wei Wuxian’s side. Lan Wangji’s expressions were stoic at the best of times, but the look he gave Jiang Cheng as he entered was positively icy.

Most likely Sizhui had relayed all that had happened and all that was said in the Burial Mounds.

But Jiang Cheng wasn’t easily scared off, and though he could feel the malice and distrust in Lan Wangji’s piercing gaze, he strode in anyway, taking a seat at the other end of the bed in which Wei Wuxian lay, still silent and unmoving.

If not for the shallow dipping of his chest, it would appear as if he were dead.

“How is he?” he asked.

“You can see for yourself; he has not changed.” Lan Wangji’s tone seemed even steelier than usual.

Jiang Cheng ignored the obvious barb to Lan Wangji’s response in favour of keeping the peace, something he rarely did.

This wasn’t why he was here. He reached out for Wei Wuxian’s hand, but Lan Wangji moved faster, his arm darting out in front of Wei Wuxian’s body as if to shield him from Jiang Cheng’s touch.

He looked up at him, surprised at the action.

“You assume I intend to harm him? In my own home? After I brought him back to heal?” he said incredulously.

“Your intentions towards Wei Ying have always been less than cordial.” Lan Wangji replied. “I cannot predict how you will react to him from one moment to the next. Recent history would suggest I am right to be wary, am I not?”

Jiang Cheng sat back in his chair. Lan Wangji did not relax his defensive posture over Wei Wuxian.

“You know, you’ve always looked at me like I was the bad guy when it comes to him.” Jiang Cheng said. “Even back then, which I always found ironic considering there was once a time when you were his antagonist.”

“I was not.” Lan Wangji answered simply. “And I do not.”

Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow, but Lan Wangji did not elaborate further, so he continued.

“You don’t have to worry. Even I wouldn’t bring him here to recover, only to kill him when he woke up.”

“Mm.”

Lan Wangji finally relaxed his pose, sitting back in his own chair.

The two sat in silence for a while, both just watching Wei Wuxian, lost in their own thoughts.

It wasn’t exactly a comfortable silence, but nor was it was tense as it had been.

“So…that boy. He’s a Wen?”

Lan Wangji looked up sharply, features becoming even more like stone, if such a thing were possible.

“He’s that kid that A-Xian took in, isn’t he? From the remnants of the clan he saved. He mentioned it while he was yelling at me. I thought all those that followed him had perished. How did he come to be a Lan?”

There was no hatred nor anger in his voice, only quiet curiosity, so Lan Wangji felt no threat and no reason to not answer him.

“I found him.” He said. “When I searched for Wei Ying. I brought him back with me. He didn’t remember anything from before.”

Jiang Cheng nodded silently, and Lan Wangji wondered what he was thinking.

Unlike his brother, Sect Leader Jiang was a difficult person to read when he wasn’t overflowing with anger.

“He’s a bright kid.” He said eventually. “Perceptive too. Quite capable. Principled, disciplined. He will be a good cultivator.”

Lan Wangji didn’t know how to answer that. Luckily, he didn’t have to. Jiang Cheng continued.

“You raised a fine young man Hanguang-jun. He’s every bit of you and A-Xian put together.”

“Why are you calling him A-Xian?” Lan Wangji asked, tearing Jiang Cheng’s pensive gaze from Wei Wuxian. “In all the years I have observed of you two, I don’t recall you ever calling Wei Ying anything other than Wei Wuxian.”

Jiang Cheng was quiet for a moment, as if he was thinking of how to speak his thoughts.

“When we were facing the yaogui, he…he stepped in front of me without even thinking. He took the curse from me, knowing it would affect him much worse than me. And I’m not sure that I would have done the same, if our roles were reversed. But A-Xian did it without question, despite everything. He’s…he’s always done that. And I’ve always scolded him for it.”

Jiang Cheng sighed, looking troubled. “Back then, it was always him on top. He was the best of the best, and there was no way I could catch up to him no matter how hard I tried. I resented him for that, but he never used his talents to shame me or bully me, even if my mother did. I was angry that he took nothing seriously, and yet he was the best cultivator of our generation without even seeming to try. Of course, he trained more vigorously and harder than I’ve ever seen anyone do. I lashed out a lot, but he never lashed out at me in kind, he never spoke a bad word to me, no matter what I said to him. Back then, I took it as pity or arrogance. Anger…anger was easier.”

That was something Lan Wangji understood. When they were young and Wei Wuxian would tease and fluster him, the only reaction he knew to give was one of anger or annoyance.

“What has changed since then? Is your anger no longer easier?” he asked.

“Anger is always easier.” Jiang Cheng said ruefully. “Anger is easier than realizing that my parents knew he was better than me, and that they were right. Anger is easier than the thought that a boy you loved as your brother realized that your parents might have been right about him. Anger is easier than admitting that I missed him, that I loved him, that I wanted him to remain at my side, that I still do even now. Anger is easier than thinking about how he left because you weren’t good enough as a brother, that you didn’t stand with him when you should have, that you should have kept your promise to trust and fight for each other. Anger is a lot easier than admitting the truth I’ve always feared that my sister begged me to bring our brother home, and I failed.”

Lan Wangji was silent.

“Anger is always easier…but it isn’t right.”

So that’s what he was thinking about the past few days.

Lan Wangji gave him the benefit of non-judgmental silence; sorting out a lifetime of pent up feelings would have to be difficult to do in just a few days.

“I want…to do better, this time. For my sister. For my brother.” Jiang Cheng murmured.

“As do I.” Lan Wangji agreed.

Jiang Cheng looked at him.

“Wei Ying has always fought alone. I never want that to be true again.”

Jiang Cheng nodded. “On that we can agree.”

They lapsed into silence again for a moment, before Jiang Cheng spoke again.

“Hanguang-jun,”

Lan Wangji inclined his head to show he was listening.

“Thank you for taking care of my _shixiong_. I’m glad someone out there is looking out for him. Please continue to look after A-Xian for me, since I failed.”

Lan Wangji replied, “No.”

Jiang Cheng blinked. “What? No? You won’t look after him, or you don’t want to do it because I asked it of you?”

“He means…you didn’t fail…didn’t you Lan Zhan?”

Both men snapped their heads to the bed at the raspy voice. Wei Wuxian was looking at them both under his eyelashes, looking pale as a ghost, but a small smile on his face.

“A-Xian,” Jiang Cheng sighed, relief pouring through him. “You’re awake.”

“Wei Ying, how do you feel?”

“Ah Lan Zhan, don’t fuss don’t fuss. I’m fine,” Wei Wuxian complained as Lan Zhan immediately began tending to him, hovering over him like a worried mother hen. “Lan Zhan –”

“Let him.” Jiang Cheng cut him off. “You’ve been through the works; he was worried about you.”

“Lan Zhan always worries.” Wei Wuxian sighed, laying back down and letting Lan Wangji fuss over him.

Lan Wangji gave his usual “hm” in reply. “Always worry about Wei Ying. Wei Ying is reckless.”

“You mean he’s an idiot.” Jiang Cheng said.

“Hey, don’t be mean to be me I’m hurt. Lan Zhan, A-Cheng’s being mean to me make him stop.” Wei Wuxian pouted, looking up at his partner as though he really was wounded.

Lan Wangji paid him no mind, checking over his bandages and monitoring his curse mark. “This is his home; I can’t make him do anything. Wei Ying will have to ask him nicely.” 

“You heard Hanguang-jun, be nice to your _shidi_.”

“Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng joining forces to gang up on me? Unbelievable. What has the world come to?”

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. “You’d heal faster if you talked less.”

“Yeah but you’d miss me otherwise. How else would I remind you I’m here if I didn’t talk? You’d all forget me.”

“Never.” Lan Wangji murmured. “Never forget Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian smiled at him so tenderly Jiang Cheng suddenly felt uncomfortable, like he was intruding upon an intimate and private moment.

He coughed awkwardly when his brother reached up to cup his partner’s cheek, the both of them staring lovingly into each other’s eyes in a way that made Jiang Cheng nauseous.

Wei Wuxian chuckled, and laid back down. “Sorry A-Cheng. I told him to warn me before he says romantic things like that, I can’t contain myself otherwise. My poor heart can’t take it.”

“If I warned Wei Ying every time, how would I fluster him?” Lan Zhan sat back in his chair; the tenseness visibly eased from his shoulders now Wei Wuxian was awake.

Wei Wuxian laughed at that, but it triggered a coughing fit.

Lan Wangji was quick to get him up and help him through his bout of coughs, Jiang Cheng fetching him some water.

When the coughs died down, Wei Wuxian’s expression was much more sober as he remembered the condition, he was in.

“How long have I been here?” he asked.

“Three days.”

“The yaogui hasn’t returned?”

“There’s been no sign of it.” Jiang Cheng shook his head. “But its hold on you is as strong as ever, so it must be in the area still.”

“Not necessarily.” Wei Wuxian answered. “This sort of curse mark…it’s not behaving like anything I’m familiar with, it’s hard to make judgements about the creature.”

“Unsurprising.” Lan Wangji said. “If it was made to punish Wei Ying, it must employ new techniques, ones you wouldn’t know how to counter.”

“Which means someone’s done their research on you.”

“We can discuss this later. Wei Ying needs to eat, and to bathe.” Lan Wangji’s tone left no room for debate as he got up and began to gather some things to prepare Wei Wuxian a bath; Jiang Cheng took that as his cue to leave.

“I’ll have food prepared, extra spicy.” He quirked a grin at Wei Wuxian. “Since I know you’ve been eating nothing but that bland Gusu food for ages. I’ll have your favourite made.”

“Yes! Ah thank you A-Cheng!” Wei Wuxian looked over the moon at the mention of spicy food, he was so happy about his upcoming meal he didn’t even protest when Lan Wangji picked him up and carried him to the bath instead of letting him walk on his own.

Once they were alone, Wei Wuxian took the time and the silence to study Lan Wangji’s face as he stripped him and helped lower him into the bath.

He shivered a little, and Lan Wangji immediately put another heating talisman on the tub to warm up the water.

His partner’s silence was nothing new, it was something he was used to, and even grown to adore about him, but he’d learned the differences in Lan Wangji’s silences enough by now to know he was upset.

“I worried you.” He murmured, watching idly as Lan Wangji begin to gently wash away the dry blood and dirt that had accumulated on his body. “I’m sorry Lan Zhan.”

“No apologies between us.” He answered mutely.

Wei Wuxian looked over at him. “I’m not sure how to apologise to you without saying sorry.”

“Wei Ying doesn’t need to say sorry.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t need to _be_ sorry.”

“Yes.”

“Yes? It does? Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian sighed. “I must have worried you half to death. I can’t imagine how scared you must have been to see me like that. I was reckless, I shouldn’t have put myself or the others in that kind of danger, I should have waited for you to catch up to us before going on ahead.”

“You did what you had to do to protect the people you love. I understand.” Lan Wangji finally looked at him as well. “Yes, I was worried. Yes, I was scared. But Wei Ying cannot sit idly by while loved ones are in danger. It is one of the many things I respect and understand, and love, about you. I would never wish to change the man Wei Ying is, so there is no need for you to be sorry. Though I do wish you would be more careful with yourself, you are precious to many people, and it is not just you who gets hurt.”

Wei Wuxian smiled, a big idiotic grin of a lovestruck fool. He always did this when he managed to coax more than three sentences - and such passionate ones! – out of Lan Wangji.

“Lan Zhan, I love you so much.”

“I love Wei Ying too.”

Wei Wuxian couldn’t resist the urge to lean down and capture Lan Wangji’s lips with his own.

He tugged him a little closer, kissing him a little deeper.

Lan Wangji responded eagerly – it never took much to have him kissing his lover back with as much enthusiasm as he could – and Wei Wuxian lost himself in Lan Wangji’s lips, as he usually did.

He brought himself up, trying to get closer to Lan Wangji over the side of the bath, when pain throbbed in his side and made him wince involuntarily.

Lan Wangji pulled away, pushing him gently by the shoulders back into the bath.

“Wei Ying is injured.”

“But I want to kiss you.” Wei Wuxian pouted.

“You can kiss me later. Need to wash, dry, eat and rest now.”

Wei Wuxian continued to pout but remained obediently still under Lan Wangji’s hands as he methodically scrubbed him clean.

“You promise?”

“Mm.” Lan Wangji nodded. “Wei Ying can have as many kisses as he wants, if he’s good for me now.”

Wei Wuxian chuckled, looking back at Lan Wangji with a coy smirk. “Oh, I can be good for Lan Er-gege – ow! Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian pouted at Lan Wangji again, who was looking very convincingly innocent despite the fact that he had just pulled Wei Wuxian’s hair. “Er-gege is being so mean to me. I’m hurt, you can’t be mean to me.”

Lan Wangji hummed, combing through Wei Wuxian’s wet hair, making him lay back so he could wash it with scented oils. Wei Wuxian sighed.

“Fine, I’ll be good. I’ll stay in bed and let Lan Zhan feed me and tend to me all he wants for the rest of the day. But after that I’m getting back up and figuring this thing out.”

“Three more days are needed.”

“Three days?! Nooooooo! _Lan Zhaaaaaan_ how boring!” Wei Wuxian whined.

“I will entertain Wei Ying. Wei Ying needs time to properly heal.”

“But Lan Zhan I’m fine, really. It just twinges a bit.”

“Hn.”

When Wei Wuxian was washed and dried, Lan Wangji presented him with a bundle of neatly folded robes for him to wear, provided by Jiang Cheng.

Wei Wuxian took the bundle, swallowing thickly at the purples and lavenders of the Jiang sect. He had the sudden urge, the need, to speak to his brother.

“Lan Zhan,” he murmured, as Lan Wangji helped him dress in the purple layers. “I want to go to the ancestral hall.”

Lan Wangji looked ready to argue, to say he needed food and rest, but the look of Wei Wuxian’s face had him simply nodding. "Does Wei Ying want company?"

"No, thank you. I need to be alone with them."

Lan Wangji nodded, understanding. 

Wei Wuxian smiled at him gratefully, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I'll be back soon."

“I will be waiting for Wei Ying.”


	4. Chapter 4

He had to walk slower than normal, but the pain had subsided enough to endure the walk to the ancestral hall.

The last time he was here had been a tumultuous time, not that Wei Wuxian had anything but tumultuous times in recent history.

It had been the night he and Lan Wangji had prostrated before the Jiang ancestors, the night Jiang Cheng had discovered the truth about his golden core, the night Wei Wuxian realized he was truly in love with Lan Wangji.

A lot had happened the last time he had greeted Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu, but then Wei Wuxian had always been like the eye of a hurricane.

Lighting a stick of incense, he bowed before the plaques in the altar.

One day he hoped to see his shijie’s plaque in Carp Tower, but until then he greeted the ones that had raised him as their son, however damaged his childhood had been.

“I’m sorry I keep disturbing you Uncle Jiang, Madam Yu, I’m sure you’re more than sick of me by now. I shouldn’t even be in your home anymore considering I’m the one that got it burned to the ground. But I ask you to tolerate my presence again just for a little while, I’ll be gone in no time, and I won’t bother A-Cheng too much this time. I just came to say hello, and I hope you and shijie are doing better in the afterlife than I made your lives here on earth.”

Wei Wuxian sighed, looking at the little portrait of Madam Yu. His lip twitched.

“I know you always worried about A-Cheng, Madam Yu, deep down, even if the way you showed it was to scold him. You were just worried he wouldn’t be a strong sect leader if you went easy on him. Well you’ll be happy to know Jiang Cheng is a fantastic leader, the best I’ve ever seen, and it was an honour to serve as his head disciple for as long as I did. He’s doing well, I think. We don’t talk much, you’ll probably be happy to hear that, you never liked the influence I had on your children. I’m sorry I had to bring them down with me Madam Yu, I really tried not to. And even now, I will fulfill the promise I made to both of you, I will protect A-Cheng even from Gusu, I promise. I’ll be here when he needs me, whether he wants me or not.”

“I do.”

Wei Wuxian stopped, his head snapping round. Jiang Cheng stepped over the threshold of the hall, stepping up beside Wei Wuxian, and kneeling down with him.

Wei Wuxian watched him with bated breath.

“I do want you, here in Lotus Pier, with me.” He said.

“You do…? A-Cheng, I -”

“Don’t.” Jiang Cheng’s mouth hardened into a mashed line. “It’s hard enough saying this crap out loud, without you thanking me, heaven’s save me I couldn’t take your thanks I might throw up.”

Wei Wuxian chuckled softly.

“I don’t – I’ve known enough guilt and regret in my life. I don’t want it anymore. The anger, the sorrow…I just want it to be gone. I’m tired A-Xian…I’m so tired.”

Gently, Wei Wuxian laid a hand on his brother’s arm. He didn’t remove it.

“I just want to move forward. I want…I want my family back.” Jiang Cheng grew quiet, his eyes unfocussed. “A-jie would have hated to see us end up like this.”

Wei Wuxian hummed in agreement. “She would, but I don’t think she would have been surprised.”

Jiang Cheng snorted. “Probably not. Few things drive me more insane than you.”

“What about Jin Ling?”

“No, you’re still worse.”

Wei Wuxian laughed. Jiang Cheng quirked a small grin. “No noise in the ancestral hall Wuxian, you’ll annoy mother and father.”

“You sound like Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuxian chuckled. When his laughter died down, they knelt in a comfortable silence, each in their own thoughts.

“Listen,” Jiang Cheng said after a moment. “There are some things I should tell you, things I never told you.”

“Oh?” Wei Wuxian looked at him curiously.

“You never told me about my golden core actually being yours, because you knew I wouldn’t be able to handle the guilt of knowing my own brother carved out a piece of himself to try and help me when it could have very nearly killed him.” Jiang Cheng said. “And you’ve never blamed me for getting myself into that mess by going back to Lotus Pier,”

Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to say, “Of course I don’t, I under- “

“Wait, wait. What you don’t know, is that I let myself get caught, to protect you.”

Wei Wuxian blinked. “You – what?”

“When you were gone, some Wens came our way. I hid in the bushes, but they were heading into the town you were in, they would have found you. So, I – I came out to distract them from you, but I couldn’t run fast enough, and they got me.”

“Oh Jiang Cheng…why would you –?”

He stopped at Jiang Cheng’s expression. Of course, he knew why he did it. Because they were brothers. Wei Wuxian smiled, and before Jiang Cheng could stop him, he’d crawled onto his lap and was hugging him.

“Hufft-! Get off you idiot, what are you doing?” he muttered gruffly.

“I love you A-Cheng.”

Jiang Cheng stilled. He couldn’t recall a time when they had last said I love you to one another. Had they ever?

“I love you so much. Thank you, thank you for keeping me safe from all the dogs, thank you for always letting me have the last bite of pie at dinner, thank you for giving me your blanket when I was cold, for every time you had my back in battle, for every time you scolded me to behave so I wouldn’t get hurt. Thank you for giving me a home and a family and thank you for trying to stay by my side when I was turning the world against me. I put you through so much, and I’m sorry. I can’t ever make up for that, but I swear to you I’ll try. I broke my promise to you once, but I’d rather die again than break it again. I’m your sworn brother, and I always will be, even if I do stupid shit that makes you angry.”

“…Idiot.” Jiang Cheng muttered; his voice rough as he blinked away tears stubbornly. He looped his arms around Wei Wuxian. “You always piss me off, nothing new there.”

Wei Wuxian huffed a tearful chuckle.

“I told you I’d throw up if you thanked me, and here you’ve gone and thanked me eight damn times. You better not pull this sort of shit when you visit in the future or I’ll have to throw you out.”

Wei Wuxian laughed, pulling back to grin at his brother. “Oh, I definitely will, how else will my shidi know how much his shixiong loves him if I don’t tease him all the time?”

“Your shidi is going to throw you in the pond in a minute.”

“Aiyah Jiang Cheng you’re so cruel to me always, you – AHH! JIANG CHENG PUT ME DOWN! I promise I won’t ever thank you ever again in your whole entire miserable life! Don’t –”

Wei Wuxian started coughing violently again over Jiang Cheng’s shoulder.

Worried, Jiang Cheng lowered him to the ground and inspected the curse mark. It was now everywhere under his robes, covering every inch of skin. Even over the heart.

“Shit!”

Helping him stand, Jiang Cheng slung Wei Wuxian’s arm around his shoulder, and held him by the waist as he helped him back inside.

He was coughing up blood by the time he got him back into his room where Lan Wangji was waiting.

Immediately, Hanguang-jun summoned Wangji, and began to play Cleansing almost fervently.

As if sensing something was wrong, the juniors stumbled in as well, Sizhui rushing to join his father in playing.

Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng watched anxiously as the two played to slow the effects of the curse gripping Wei Wuxian.

Eventually, after hours of ceaseless playing, the coughing and the bleeding subsided, and he could breathe normally again, though he was weary to the bone.

Jiang Cheng stuck a few healing talismans on his skin, hoping it would ease the pain.

Wei Wuxian rested fitfully, and when he did come back to consciousness, Lan Wangji helped feed him a little stew, tentatively watching for any signs of discomfort on his lover’s face, before bidding him to sleep again.

Hours later, while most of the household had gone to sleep, Lan Wangji was still up, tending to Wei Wuxian.

The juniors hovered anxiously, flitting in and out of the rooms with medicines and foods from time to time, determined to stay up as long as it took for Wei Wuxian to feel better.

“There must be something.” Jin Ling muttered, flipping through another leather-bound book.

He and Sizhui were in the little library, combing through the collection on curses, hoping to find something, anything that could help Wei Wuxian.

It was somewhere between midnight and two o’clock in the morning now, but Sizhui only lit another candle and ploughed on ahead.

“The yaogui hasn’t returned to kill Senior Wei, which is abnormal.” He said. “Where has it gone? What is it doing?”

“Perhaps it’s gone back to its master, the one who summoned it to kill Uncle Wei in the first place. Maybe they’re waiting for him to die, to be close to death and unprotected. I don’t think we’ll get any answers inside these walls, the enemy lies outside them and won’t come in to help us figure this out.” Jin Ling slammed his book shut with a groan, smacking his forehead on the table.

“Even if you’re right, how are we supposed to know who summoned it? Senior has many enemies.”

“But surely not that many that would want to kill him in this specific of a way. We need to know everything about that Wen leader he killed. The people he knew that might have survived, wanting revenge, anyone that could be associated with the old Wen sect, anyone who hates Uncle Wei enough to plan his murder and had knowledge of that night. That surely can’t be such a long list we won’t be able to find them.”

Sizhui nodded at Jin Ling’s logic. “The only way we can get this information is by asking the seniors. Hanguang-jun, Yiling Patriarch, and Sect Leader Jiang were at the forefront of the Sunshot Campaign, and all were present during that skirmish. We should ask them.”

Jin Ling nodded.

They got up and crept down the halls of Lotus Pier; though it was late, there was candlelight coming from Wei Wuxian’s room, and quietly Sizhui knocked.

He heard a hum, and he slid the door open.

The two juniors were greeted by the sight of a stubborn and pouting Wei Wuxian trying to get out of bed, and Lan Wangji attempting to hold him down.

“Wen Ning…I need Wen Ning.” Wei Wuxian was whining. “Lan Zhan, where is Chenqing? Give me my flute, let me up, I need Wen Ning.”

“Uncle Ning? What do you need Uncle Ning for Senior Wei?” Sizhui asked.

“The curse, he thinks it –”

“I _know_ ,” Wei Wuxian cut him off with a glare, finally shrugging off his hands and sitting upright. “It’s of Wen origin. It took me a while to figure it out, because of the way it spreads, but I finally worked it out.”

“And how do you know it’s of Wen origin Uncle?”

“Jiang Cheng.” Was all Wei Wuxian said, defiantly rolling out of bed and crawling to the writing desk despite Lan Wangji’s protests. “Dammit Lan Zhan, where is Chenqing?! I need Wen Ning! NOW!”

Despite the warm glow of the candles, the room seemed to darken as Wei Wuxian fixed his angry glare on his partner. Sizhui had never seen him look at Hanguang-jun with anything other than love and tenderness, sometimes mild annoyance at the most, but never anger, and certainly never this dark threatening gaze.

But Lan Wangji seemed undeterred by the look and refused to give up Chenqing’s location.

“You will do something foolish and get yourself killed.” He insisted tonelessly.

“I’m dying anyway Lan Zhan, if I have to die again, I’d rather it be fighting and not coughing in bed!” Wei Wuxian snapped. “Give me my flute or you’re as good as sentencing me to my second death!”

“Wei Ying!” Lan Wangji’s face looked stormy and insulted, but Wei Wuxian didn’t back down.

“Do you love me or not Lan Zhan?! Will you let me die like this?!”

Sizhui gasped, eyes wide and almost teary as he looked between his fathers.

“ _Wei Ying_! Do no joke about that! Never joke about that!”

“Who’s joking? I can barely stand on my own, a few more days and this curse will end me! So, either you give me Chenqing or I’ll –”

“Please!” Sizhui cried. “Please don’t fight! Fathers! Listen to yourselves!”

He hadn’t even been aware that he was clutching Jin Ling in distress until the young sect leader gently uncurled his fists from his robe sleeves and pat his hands, trying to get him to stop trembling.

Wei Wuxian took in the sight of his distressed son and nephew and had the decency to look ashamed.

“I – sorry, I’m sorry.” He murmured, rubbing his nose like a guilty child. “I’m going stir-crazy just sitting here helpless. Not used to it.”

“We are here to help Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said. 

Wei Wuxian nodded sullenly, keeping his head down. “I know, but no progress is being done, and I can feel it – it’s getting worse. I’m – I’m _scared_ Lan Zhan, I don’t want to die again.”

In that moment Wei Wuxian, the Yiling Patriarch, father of demonic cultivation and the most powerful cultivator of his generation, looked so small.

Lan Wangji was quick to move first, a vision of white fluttering robes as he settled down beside Wei Wuxian and pulled him tightly into his arms.

Jin Ling could have sworn he heard sniffles.

He turned away, a little uncomfortable at the scene, just as Sizhui threw himself down beside his fathers and joined the huddle.

This only added to Jin Ling’s discomfort, and after a few moments he coughed awkwardly.

“Hope the shouting didn’t wake Uncle Jiang.” He muttered.

“We’d all be fried up by Zidian by now if it did.” Wei Wuxian joked, extracting himself from his family’s embrace. “Lan Zhan my dear, my flute, please?”

Lan Wangji, somewhat reluctantly, produced Chenqing from his sleeve.

An eerie tune was played, demonic energy floating around Chenqing and Wei Wuxian, before scattering into the air.

Wei Wuxian’s ear pricked up, hearing something no one else did.

“He’s nearby. He won’t be long.” He murmured.

“While we wait for Uncle Ning, can you tell us what it was that made you realize the origins of the curse mark, Senior Wei?” Sizhui asked.

“Hanguang-jun doesn’t seem very convinced.” Jin Ling pointed out.

“That’s because Lan Zhan wasn’t there. I was.” Wei Wuxian answered. “It’s been a long time since I last saw it, but I remember the way it crept up Jiang Cheng’s weakened body. Without his core, it advanced more rapidly than it has on me, but the process was the same.”

“When was he cursed?” Lan Wangji frowned at Wei Wuxian.

“At Lotus Pier.” Was the quiet answer. “Before they melted his golden core. I remember his blackened skin peeking through his robes when Wen Ning carried him out. I thought it was an effect of melting a golden core at first, but when Wen Ning took us to his sister, she gave him something that took it away, and he was still without his core.”

“What did she give him?”

“I’m not sure. Wen Qing was an amazing healer, the best I had ever known. Wen Ning…he doesn’t share much of his sister’s ability with medicines, but he may be of some use. He’s the only surviving member of the Wen Sect that would remember such a curse, and he’s the only chance we have of finding the cure, since the yaogui and its master remain hidden.”

Just as Wei Wuxian had predicted, it didn’t take Wen Ning long to arrive in Lotus Pier.

He popped up at the window so suddenly it gave Jin Ling a fright, making a rather undignified startled yelp, amusing Wei Wuxian if his cackling was anything to go by.

“Young Master, what has happened to you? I could feel the effects on your spiritual energy a mile away.” Wen Ning darted worriedly to Wei Wuxian’s side; eyes dark with concern. "You've been cursed!"

“Wen Ning, do you recognise this curse? I think it’s the same one Jiang Cheng had long ago, it was healed by your sister. Do you remember?”

Wen Ning took a long look at the black marks over Wei Wuxian’s body, and slowly nodded.

“Un. I remember this, but shijie’s notes were all destroyed in the Sunshot Campaign, and I was never good at copying her. Master, this is serious. It’s progressed much more than it had on Young Master Jiang back then, it might not be healable the way my sister did now.”

“I’ll take anything I can get at this point Wen Ning; I need you to think back at what you remember, write everything down that may help.”

Wen Ning nodded. “I understand, I’ll do my best Master.”

“There were a few books in the library regarding the Wen Sect, cures and curses, maybe something in there will help.” Sizhui said, leaping to his feet. “Jin Ling, let’s go look!”

Eagerly, the two juniors scurried off to the library again, renewed in their energy and drive to help their senior.

“Lan Zhan, you should sleep. It’s long past nine.” Wei Wuxian said, crouching over the table with Wen Ning as he began to scribble notes from his fragmented memory.

“Wei Ying needs rest too –”

“I promise you if I need anything, Wen Ning will take care of me, and if it’s serious we’ll wake you.” Wei Wuxian cut off with a small smile. “A-Cheng told me you haven’t slept since I was brought here. You need sleep my dear, please. I give you my word I will get you if I need you.”

Lan Wangji was reluctant to leave him, but he could see his point. He nodded stiffly and got up to head to the guest room. “Do not be up all-night Wei Ying,”

“We won’t.” Wei Wuxian promised.

The last Lan Wangji saw of Wei Wuxian that night, was the image of him hunkered over the writing desk with Wen Ning, speaking in hushed tones and a deep frown, scribbling talismans in ink and blood.

Come morning, both the Yiling Patriarch, and his loyal Ghost General, were gone.

. . .

“Any sign of them?”

Lan Wangji shook his head as Jiang Cheng approached, the pair of them already breathing heavily from their desperate search.

There had been nothing to indicate where Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning had gone, it was as if they had simply vanished without a trace.

It was late in the morning now, almost midday, and none of the search parties in Yiling or Yunmeng had turned up any results

“Hanguang-jun! Sect Leader Jiang!”

Lan Sizhui and Jin Ling met them at the gates of Lotus Pier, each brandishing papers scrawled with ink, and human blood.

“We found these in Senior Wei’s room, shoved under the mattress.” Sizhui informed them. “It’s clear whatever he and Uncle Ning were working on, he wanted to be kept secret.”

An inspection of the recovered papers revealed many half-baked medical ideas and curse theories from the teachings of the Wen Sect, most of them irrelevant by today’s standards, and several mentions of residual resentful energy.

Most of it made little sense.

“What are these talismans?” Jiang Cheng flipped over some pages scrawled with different talismans, variations in strokes and order littered every spare space, but he couldn’t make heads nor tails of them. “It looks like A-Xian’s regular talisman to draw resentful energy in, but…”

Lan Wangji pointed to a particular cluster of strokes. “The sign for follow. And there, hiding. And it’s been reversed.”

“So…follow, hiding resentful energy?” Sizhui frowned, thinking hard.

“He intends to track the yaogui.” Lan Wangji said.

Jiang Cheng blinked, realization dawning on him. “That’s what he meant by residual resentful energy! Curses and creatures leave faint trails of resentful energy, from the intensity of the curse mark it wouldn’t take a bloodhound to be able to track such a path, but there wasn’t a reliable way until now…achieve the impossible indeed.”

“Then we have to track it too and find him!” Jin Ling urged. “He could be killed!”

“None of these seem to be the finished product, these drafts may not work.” Lan Wangji observed. “It’s likely he tested them and took the sheet with the talisman that worked with him. He likely did not wish for us to follow him.”

“Why not? Why would he not want us there to help?” Sizhui cried.

“Whoever sent that yaogui, wants Wei Ying dead personally. Knowing Wei Ying, likely he thinks it is his battle to fight alone, as his past actions brought the problem to him. Others have already been hurt; he would not wish anyone else to be harmed in the name of protecting him.”

“Selfless idiot.” Jiang Cheng muttered. “He’s always been like that. He needs to accept help and accept there are people willing to get hurt for him. Idiot. Well we must try them in any case, otherwise we have no way of finding him.”

They tried out the talismans scrawled on the paper, and just as Lan Wangji predicted, they just fizzled in the air and died.

The juniors were getting more distressed with every failed attempt.

“Is there anything in those notes that could give us a clue to fix the talisman? We don’t know how long Senior Wei has been gone, he could be in serious danger!”

“He could already be dead! We’re wasting time!” Jin Ling cried.

“If you kids have a suggestion, we’re all ears.” Jiang Cheng said gruffly.

“We don’t, but maybe he does.” Jin Ling pointed behind them.

Sizhui gasped. “It's Uncle Ning!”

It was true. Wen Ning was currently racing towards them from across the fields, almost a black blur against the blue sky.

“Wen Ning!” Jiang Cheng called. “You return without Wei Wuxian, where is he?”

“Young Master sent me back for Hanguang-jun and Sect Leader Jiang. He is in grave danger, you must come!”

“Where is he?” Lan Wangji was already unsheathing Bichen, as the others were with their swords, ready to mount them and be off. “Take us to Wei Ying.” He grabbed Wen Ning and hauled him up on Bichen with him.

“You kids stay here,” Jiang Cheng said. “Hanguang-jun and I will bring Wei Wuxian home.”

“You can’t leave us here!” Jin Ling cried. “We’re going to help too!”

“Your arm is still injured, and I can’t be responsible for protecting you.”

“Sizhui can defend me if needed, right A-Yuan? We’ll keep our distance; we won’t engage in battle.”

Sizhui nodded eagerly. “Yes, we’ll keep out of your way, we just want to be there to help Senior Wei!”

Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow at ‘A-Yuan’. The only other person he’d heard Jin Ling call by birth name was Wei Wuxian, and that was to insult him. Curious.

He sighed, giving Lan Wangji a sidelong glance. The two men nodded.

“Alright, but you better not fall behind.”

They immediately set out in the direction Wen Ning pointed them in, soaring over the landscape.

“What happened?”

“I’m sorry Hanguang-jun, I wanted to wake you but Master –”

“I understand Wen Ning, I am not angry with you.” Lan Wangji assured the corpse.

“Please do not be angry with Young Master Wei either.”

“I would never be angry with Wei Ying.”

“I will if Hanguang-jun won’t!” Jiang Cheng said. “If that idiots gets himself killed, I’ll never forgive him! I’ll learn to bring him back from the dead just to yell at him!”

Lan Wangji was tempted to agree but stayed silent. Wherever Wei Ying was, he better come out alive.


	5. Chapter 5

“Hanguang-jun!” Sizhui called. “We’re heading into Yao Sect territory!”

The Yao Sect.

Hanguang-jun remembered Sect Leader Yao well, possessed with the idea of eliminating the Yiling Patriarch for the sake of justice, the man had always saw the world in absolutes, in black and white.

He reminded Lan Wangji of his uncle in that respect. Both were quick to condemn Wei Wuxian for demonic cultivation, and both were eager to see him gone.

Sect Leader Yao was one of the leaders of the second siege of the Burial Mounds, but after the events of Guanyin Temple he had seemed to withdraw back to his territory and consolidate his sect’s power.

The sect grounds seemed still and calm, but Hanguang-jun suspected there was much more going on behind the gates.

“Hey! I’m going down!” Jin Ling suddenly cried. “Something’s pulling me down!”

“A-Ling!” Sizhui swooped on his sword to reach out for Jin Ling, to catch him, but whatever power was forcing him down also caught Sizhui’s sword, the two of them being forced to crash land on the ground.

Jin Ling groaned, having landed on his injured arm.

“A-Ling! Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Sizhui was quick to stumble over to him, helping him upright and checking him over for injuries.

“M’fine, stop worrying.” Jin Ling muttered, blushing scarlet to the roots of his hair at Sizhui’s fussing. “Landed on my arm.”

“Then I’ll be your arm.” Sizhui’s smile was so genuine it rendered Jin Ling speechless. He looked away, muttering to himself.

“Sizhui, Jin Ling. Are you hurt?”

Behind them, Hanguang-jun, along with Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning approached out of the mist.

Since when had the grounds been misty? Now that they noticed it, they couldn’t see very far in front of them anymore. It wasn’t like this just a moment ago.

“We’re unharmed. Where is this mist coming from?” Sizhui said.

“It’s like Yi City all over again. Can mist be summoned?”

Hanguang-jun hummed, looking into the mist pensively.

“We can worry about that later; we need to find A-Xian. Wen Ning, do you think you can find the way through this mist?”

Wen Ning nodded. “Definitely. Young Master left a very clear trail for me to follow.”

“Trail? What trail? I can’t see anything but the mist.” Jin Ling denied.

Wen Ning held up his hand, a paper talisman on his palm. It shone brightly for a moment, before sparks flew off Wen Ning’s skin and into the distance.

“We follow the sparks. Young Master has the other talisman, it will lead us straight to him.” Wen Ning descended into the mist without another word and was almost immediately lost in the gloom.

The others followed.

“A-Ling, hold my hand so you won’t get lost.” Sizhui said, reaching back for the young sect leader.

“I don’t need to hold your hand!” Jin Ling protested. “I can see you just fine.”

“We should not risk separation in this mist, remember what happened at Yi City? We don’t know what awaits us here, it’s best to stick together.” Sizhui reasoned.

Jin Ling grumbled, smacking his palm against Sizhui’s, who closed his fingers around it with a triumphant smile. Jin Ling’s face was scarlet.

That was certainly a new development, and one Hanguang-jun would have to interrogate Sizhui about later.

The Yao fortress seemed so much more foreboding in the misty surroundings, old and battered as it may be.

The main walls showed ageing, visible were years’ worth of patch jobs and repairs in various updated styles and materials, showing the different influences past sect leaders had had on the structure.

It was a fortress that had repelled many a siege and held generations of disciples within its walls.

The most glaring anomaly was the main courtyard lay completely empty, nothing but the mist curling around the party’s ankles as they followed the resentful corpse.

The second, was the main doors.

They were busted open, almost completely broken down, the tiles of the hallway beyond spattered with blood.

A body wasn’t far behind.

Hanguang-jun leaned down to inspect the dead man, flipping him over onto his back.

The man’s face was contorted in a scream of horror, his throat had been torn out completely, leaving his head almost severed from the body.

Sizhui’s eyes widened, and he discreetly covered his mouth.

“Hasn’t been dead long. This was done by a fierce corpse.” Hanguang-jun deduced. “Wei Ying has been busy.”

“Let’s hope he’s left at least one person in one piece. I want to tear them to shreds myself.” Jiang Cheng muttered.

They continued into the keep, finding it mostly empty apart from the occasional dead body.

Every dead body they encountered was killed in a gruesome way, limbs missing, eyes gouged out, throats ripped out, hearts missing, chest completely broken open, skulls bashed in, bones broken and skewered on their own swords, it reminded Lan Wangji of Wei Ying’s work during the Sunshot Campaign.

He’d sent many a Wen-dog to their deaths in such a fashion then too.

Jiang Cheng also noticed the savagery of the slaughter and thought back on the man his brother had become after he’d returned from the Burial Mounds with Chenqing.

“This isn’t a good sign.” He murmured to Hanguang-jun. “Last time he did this sort of damage, he lost it. Let’s hope we find him in a stable condition.”

Lan Wangji didn’t answer.

They arrived finally, led by Wen Ning, at the central chamber of the keep. The door was half thrown open, and an unfortunate soul was pinned to the open door panel by Suibian impaling his skull.

“Suibian…” Lan Wangji approached the body pinned to the door, recognizing him as the Yao Sect’s Head Disciple.

“That Wei Wuxian brought his sword doesn’t bode well.” Jiang Cheng murmured. “He knew what he was walking into and came prepared for a fight. From the looks of things, he’s won, but where is he?”

“Ssh, listen. Do you hear that?” Sizhui said suddenly.

They listened. In the stillness of the empty keep, they could hear an eerie whistling, and the faint sound of…whimpering? Sobbing?

Pushing open the other half of the door, Hanguang-jun descended into the dark room.

The others followed behind.

The room looked as though a hurricane had blown through it.

Everything that could be wrecked was, the resentful energy was so thick it cast deep shadows on everything, bringing with it a cold sensation to the lungs, like the heaviness was too much to breathe cleanly through.

On one side of the chamber, a deformed corpse of a woman growling and holding a weakly struggling figure against the ground.

On the other, the door to another chamber.

The whistling was louder here, stronger.

It was the person who was emitting the whimpering noises.

His robes were stained dark with blood and his skin was ashen, his limbs clearly broken in the most unnatural of positions, rendering him quite powerless against the corpse holding him by the throat.

On closer inspection, the sad figure revealed himself to be none other than Sect Leader Yao.

“It appears as though his tongue has been ripped out by the roots.” Hanguang-jun noted.

Jiang Cheng snorted. “Wei Wuxian probably got sick of hearing him scream.”

Jin Ling almost gagged.

Sizhui suddenly gasped, hurrying into the side chamber, dragging Jin Ling with him, who was still holding his hand tightly.

“Senior – _a-die_ …”

“Uncle Wei…!”

Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji joined them, taking in the scene before them.

The side chamber looked as if it were designed to be a torture chamber, for that was certainly the purpose it had served today.

In the middle of the chamber, Wei Wuxian was knelt on a raised iron platform, arms suspended above his head and chained.

His head was down against his chest, and one would think he was dead if not for the dark whistling passing from his lips.

Resentful energy swirled angrily around him, making this chamber even darker than the main chamber.

Where his wrists were shackled were horrible bloody wounds.

Dried blood stained his pale arms, scattered with lacerations.

Bruises littered Wei Wuxian’s body, including dark marks resembling fingers around his neck.

The crease in his brow, and the tight clenches fists around Bichen, were the only indicator of the rage coursing through Lan Wangji at the sight of his love.

Wei Wuxian’s robes were torn, drenched in blood.

How much of it was his own was difficult to tell.

One of his ankles twisted unnaturally, his left wrist looking popped out from its joint.

At least several bones were broken, that was obvious even without visual confirmation.

The stench of blood was everywhere.

A horrible gaping wound lay over his chest, still oozing black blood and twisting resentful energy.

Sizhui took a hesitant step forward to inspect the wound and gagged.

The smell of rotting flesh and blood was overpowering.

“The – the yaogui was forced inside him…but it looks like he forced it out. It’s no natural wound.” Sizhui stepped a little closer, reaching hesitantly for Wei Wuxian. “Senior Wei…”

The whistling was abruptly cut off, and an inhuman growl erupted from Wei Wuxian’s throat, “ ** _Don’t touch me!”_**

“Sizhui!” Lan Wangji grabbed the younger one’s collar and yanked him back as the cloud of resentful energy around Wei Wuxian lashed out and attacked him.

With the whistling interrupted, the fierce corpse Wei Wuxian had summoned released its hold on Sect Leader Yao and screamed, no longer under the demonic cultivator’s control.

With a curse, Jiang Cheng unsheathed his sword as the corpse leaped for him.

Wen Ning was the first to notice the sect leader trying to crawl away, and at once grabbed him once more by the throat and slammed him back down to the ground.

“You won’t get away from me after what you’ve done to my master.” Black veins of resentful energy appeared along Wen Ning’s neck and body, his eyes darkening to almost be completely black in his rage.

Unlike humans, Wen Ning couldn’t emote, but he didn’t need the ability in order to strike terror in the sect leader’s heart.

Jiang Cheng had made short work of the corpse, being it was of low-level and currently unenhanced by Wei Wuxian’s demonic powers.

Wei Wuxian in question, seemed beyond human thought. In his half-crazed state, he couldn’t understand any words being said, nor recognise anyone’s voices; all he heard was raised angry voices, and immediately he was on alert and defensive.

The juniors couldn’t even pierce the thick resentful energy wall he’d erected around himself.

“Hanguang-jun!” Sizhui looked to his father desperately, who so far had stood silent and observant.

The resentful energy twisted towards Sizhui as it located his voice, and Jin Ling was barely able to pull him away in time.

“Stay back.” Lan Wangji put himself in front of the boys, his eyes fixed on Wei Wuxian. “Wei Ying is not stable, he does not know you anymore. We must be careful.”

Very little emotion passed through Lan Wangji’s face, but to Sizhui, who had been raised by the man, the pained way he held himself, the slight trembling of his fist, the way he hadn’t even seemed to blink since they’d entered the chamber, told him everything Lan Wangji was feeling in that moment.

He was certain he shared those feelings.

With a slash of Bichen, he cut through the resentful energy and through the chains holding Wei Wuxian.

As his wrists fell from their bindings, the fingers scrambled automatically for Chenqing or Suibian.

Lan Wangji took the momentary distraction as an opportunity, and began to approach Wei Wuxian.

Without his weapons, Wei Wuxian let out a yell and threw his arm forward, resentful energy coming with it.

Lan Wangji deflected the blow with Bichen, barely even flinching.

Sizhui leapt forward to help Hanguang-jun, but Wei Wuxian threw out a blast of resentful energy towards him, knocking him back into Jin Ling’s arms.

Lan Wangji tried to come around the side as Wei Wuxian was focused on Sizhui, reaching out to grip his unbroken wrist.

Wei Wuxian whipped around, and rose to his feet, stumbling on his broken ankle but undeterred, ripping his wrist from Lan Wangji’s hand and pushing him back, brandishing a hidden dagger from his sleeve.

“ ** _You will not touch me!”_** Wei Wuxian roared. “ ** _I will kill you!”_**

“Father!” Sizhui shrieked, horrified.

He went to rush forward, but Jin Ling held him back. “No it’s too dangerous, he’ll kill you!”

Wei Wuxian was fast, but Lan Wangji was faster, and with a flick of his wrist, the dagger was falling from Wei Wuxian’s grip.

“Sizhui. Stay back. I’ll be fine.” Lan Wangji’s voice had barely changed, his eyes completely fixated on Wei Wuxian’s blood red ones.

With a roar, resentful energy shot out and pinned Lan Wangji to the wall, invisible talons digging into his arms.

Red spots showed through his pure white robes. Wei Wuxian’s whole body was shaking, snarling like a wild animal.

“Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji kept his voice barely above a whisper, but it still enraged Wei Wuxian, whose hand curled around his throat to shut him up.

Lan Wangji didn’t flinch, or look away from his partner’s eyes. “Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian twitched, scowling further, his fingers tightening. Why wouldn’t this enemy be quiet?!

“Wei Ying…come back to me.” Lan Wangji slowly brought up a hand, regardless of Wei Wuxian’s warning snarl, and placed it gently on his bruised cheek.

“Wei Ying. Your Lan Zhan needs you. Come back.”

The fingers around his neck twitched. Loosened.

“…Lan…Zhan…”

Lan Wangji brushed his hair behind his ear, watching the red in Wei Wuxian’s eyes begin to fade.

“Wei Ying.”

“…Lan Zhan…” the hand around his neck jerked back like it had been burned. “Lan Zhan…?”

Wei Wuxian jolted back, shaken, a horrified expression overtaking his pale face.

“L-Lan Zhan…!”

“Wei Ying!” Lan Zhan came forward to catch him as Wei Wuxian collapsed backwards, the resentful energy disappearing just as the red in Wei Wuxian’s eyes disappeared.

He was trembling violently, breathing like a man possessed. His uninjured hand came up to cup Lan Wangji’s cheek, eyes filling with tears.

“Lan Zhan, my Lan Zhan.” He whimpered, his horror dissolving into guilt. “What have I done?”

“It’s alright now Wei Ying. You’re safe now.” Lan Wangji murmured, holding his partner securely against him. “No one will hurt you anymore.”

Wei Wuxian let out a broken sob. The powerful cultivator crumbled, his head burying into Lan Wangji’s shoulder, his tears staining the by now ruined white robes. 

“Wei Ying. I am here.”

“Lan Zhan…” he rasped, wincing at his raw throat. “I knew...you would find me…but I was so scared…you’d be too late…”

“I am here, Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan cradled his body delicately, eyes examining the wounds that littered his partner’s body. They would heal, with good care and rest. He would be fine.

“I hurt you…oh god…I hurt you Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian sobbed. “I'm so - sorry...I couldn’t see you…I thought – I thought you were – ”

“Sshh, be still Wei Ying. You’re hurt. I’m fine, you didn’t do much damage.”

“But I _attacked_ you!”

“I would endure any pain on earth to bring Wei Ying back to me.”

Hazy grey eyes peered up at Lan Wangji’s serious face, and knew he spoke the truth. Another wave of tears spilled over his eyes, only to be wiped away by a clean section of Lan Wangji’s sleeve.

"Lan Zhan..." Wei Wuxian gave him a watery smile. “I love you…so much…”

“Mm. Love Wei Ying too.”

The couple was interrupted in their reunion by the snapping of bones and gurgled screams.

It appears as though Sect Leader Yao, having noticed the Yiling Patriarch was unbound, had tried to struggle again, only to have Wen Ning break his legs in another place.

“I’m going to enjoy killing a coward like you.” Jiang Cheng growled, towering over the sect leader in Wen Ning’s grip, the blade of his sword at his throat.

“Before we arrived, master bade me to hide myself. I heard Sect Leader Yao tell his first disciple he would rid the world from the evil of Master Wei for good.”

“By summoning an evil yourself?” Jin Ling spat, looking down at the broken and bloody body with a scowl.

“Disgusting. How did you ever think you would get away with attacking Wei Wuxian, of all people? Did you truly think no one would notice his absence? That we wouldn’t come for him?”

“The fact that he thought he could even kill my master is laughable at best. Kill the Yiling Patriarch? It can’t be done.” Wen Ning’s face barely moved, his normally light musical voice dark and violent.

He tightened his grip on Sect Leader Yao’s throat. He gurgled, blood spilling over his lips.

Jiang Cheng snorted. “Even cursed and half dead my brother still slaughtered your entire sect and beat you to within an inch of your life! You will pay for daring to touch Wei Wuxian of the Yunmengjiang Sect!”

“Wait…A-Cheng…” Wei Wuxian tried to lift his arm, but his strength was utterly spent.

Lan Wangji carried him out of the side chamber, keeping him angled away from the sight of Sect Leader Yao.

“A-Xian…” Jiang Cheng flushed even paler at seeing his brother almost broken in Lan Wangji’s arms.

He smiled at Jiang Cheng. “You came for me…”

“Of course I did you idiot, you’re my brother. You think I’d leave you to die alone? We promised to die fighting side by side didn’t we? You better honour that in this lifetime Wei Wuxian, you hear me? I won’t let you die before your fulfill all your promises to me.”

Wei Wuxian chuckled breathlessly. “Mm…promise.”

“What shall we do with the sect leader?” Sizhui came to hover close by Hanguang-jun, looking down at the foiled sect leader.

“Wei Ying suffered at his hands.” Lan Wangji said, in a tone that suggested they were killing him and there was no argument to be had.

“More death doesn’t solve anything…” Sizhui said hesitantly.

“Any suffering he has left to endure will be of his own doing!” Jin Ling snorted. “He deserves pain to the next world!”

“Rightfully, he should be held to trial, to account for his actions before the sects.” Sizhui said. “But, given the circumstances…”

Wei Wuxian suddenly shuddered, curling even further into Lan Wangji’s embrace. It seemed as if he had finally had too much to take.

“Lan Zhan…take me away from here, please…” he whined quietly. “I want to go home…”

Lan Wangji nodded. “Mm. Let’s go home.” He nodded at the sect leader under Jiang Cheng’s sword, “Him?”

He was asking what they were to do with the sect leader. Jiang Cheng already had his answer.

“Take A-Xian, we will deal with this dog.”

Lan Wangji, satisfied. As dearly as he would like to tear the sect leader limb from limb with Jiang Cheng, his priority was Wei Ying.

Wei Wuxian took in a deep breath as he was carried to the outside grounds, feeling as though he hadn’t breathed in fresh air in a lifetime or more.

He blinked up at the sky and felt himself smile. Tears dripped silently down his face and onto Lan Wangji’s shoulder.

“The sky…it’s so pretty.” He murmured, his broken chuckle hollow and tearful. “I thought I would never see it again…”

“Stop talking nonsense, you’re going to see the sky plenty more times!” Jin Ling said firmly. “Because no matter how deep down you get, we’re always going to be here to pull you back out, right A-Yuan?”

“That’s right. We’ll never let you fall, we’re going to always catch you from now on, so don’t run off and try and solve things on your own anymore a-die, you don’t need to now, you’re not alone anymore.” Sizhui answered, tears of his own streaming from his face.

Wei Wuxian smiled, ignoring the pain from his split lip. “Such good boys…my good boys. I’m so lucky to have such a devoted family…”

“It’s us who are lucky to have you. Isn’t that right Hanguang-jun?”

Lan Wangji nodded, squeezing Wei Wuxian gently when he turned his gaze on him.

Wei Wuxian smiled tenderly, letting himself burrow into the warm of his Hanguang-jun’s arms as they mounted their swords and flew away from the fortress.

Wei Wuxian slipped into a peaceful, dreamless sleep along the way, safe in Lan Wangji's arms.


	6. Chapter 6

“How many times do I have to take this again?”

“Three times every day. Morning, noon, and night.” Lan Wangji poured the sticky looking liquid onto the spoon, coaxing it into Wei Wuxian’s mouth.

His lips twitched in amusement at his partner’s disgusted face at the horribly sour concoction, struggling to swallow it.

He gagged dramatically, whining until Lan Wangji offered him Emperor’s Smile to wash out the taste with.

Wei Wuxian had slept for the remainder of the day once they’d arrived in the Cloud Recesses, and all of the night.

Waking up in the medical wing instead of the Jingshi hadn’t been pleasant, his waking thoughts jumbled and confused, he’d almost attacked the head healer before he realized he was surrounded by white and blue, and couldn’t possibly still be in danger.

After the healer had deemed him fit enough to be moved, after a few hours examination, he’d allowed Lan Wangji to take him back to the Jingshi, where he’d slept again until late in the morning.

It was now mid-afternoon, and he’d been tended to by his dear lover for all of the day so far.

“You shouldn’t laugh at me,” Wei Wuxian pouted. “It’s cruel. You’re cruel to me Hanguang-jun.”

“Mm. Very cruel to Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji’s tone was more than amused, his lip curled upwards into one of the tiny smirks Wei Wuxian loved to see on his beautiful face.

“Exactly. You should take care of me better.”

“If Wei Ying didn’t run into danger alone, it would be easier to take care of him.”

Wei Wuxian pouted deeper, and sighed. “Yeah, I know. I’m still getting used to the fact that I matter to people, that it affects others when I get hurt.”

“You are precious Wei Ying, to many people.”

“I know.” Wei Wuxian smiled softly. “I’m very lucky to be precious to others, especially Hanguang-jun. I don’t deserve you Lan Zhan.”

“No, it is I who doesn’t deserve Wei Ying.” He corrected simply, pressing a kiss to Wei Wuxian’s forehead as he got up to run him a bath.

“Hanguang-jun deserves the whole world!” Wei Wuxian spread his arms wide and laughed like a child, watching his partner’s back. “The stars in the sky! Lan Wangji is as precious as the moon!”

“Mm, if I am the moon, then Wei Ying is the sun.” Lan Wangji replied. “And deserves everything under the sun.”

“Ahhh Hanguang-juuuuun! So _romantic_! I can never beat you when it comes to confessions of the heart can I?” Wei Wuxian teased.

Lan Wangji did not reply, just happy Wei Wuxian was in better spirits than this morning.

Wei Wuxian amused himself until it was time to bathe, not protesting when Lan Wangji scooped him up and carried him to the bath.

He hissed at the sting of the hot water on his wounds, and his partner gave him an apologetic kiss as he lowered him into the tub.

Despite the sting, the water was a blessing to relax his muscles, and he sighed as he laid back, feeling Hanguang-jun comb through his tangled hair with his fingers, beginning the consuming task of combing and washing Wei Wuxian’s nest of hair. 

“Sect Leader Yao?” he enquired softly, raising his eyes to look at Lan Wangji above him.

His partner’s eyes did not move from their task. “Dead. Your brother saw to it.”

Wei Wuxian nodded, closing his eyes. “Good.”

They sat in silent for a moment, the sounds of combing penetrating the air.

“I suppose there will need to be a conference held, to discuss what will happen to the remainder of the Yao disciples, and the sect territory.” Wei Wuxian murmured.

“Mm. In due time. It can wait, until Wei Ying is healed.”

“Have I been summoned by the sect leaders already?”

“Not yet, but brother expects the messages demanding explanations will arrive soon. When the conference is held, Wei Ying will need to attend.”

Wei Wuxian sighed. “I suppose that’s fair. I do owe them an explanation as to the slaughter of half the clan.”

“I will be with Wei Ying, when the time comes.”

Wei Wuxian smiled softly. “I know, my dear Lan Zhan is always there when I need him.”

“Hm. Not always. But will be, from now on.”

He heard the guilt in Lan Wangji’s brisk tone, and reached up a hand to cover on of his, squeezing the fingers gently.

“I love you Lan Zhan.” He said softly, hoping it conveyed everything he wanted to say to him.

The fingers he grasped released their tension, and he was sure his message was understood.

“I love you too, Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian sat up, his hair falling from Lan Wangji’s fingers, and turned around, smiling at his lover.

“We should get married.”

“We are already married Wei Ying,”

“No I know, but I mean, we should get properly married.” Wei Wuxian said. “With a ceremony and everything. A nice party celebration is exactly what we need, and frankly we deserve it, after everything we’ve been through.”

“Mm, Wei Ying wants to show me off?” Hanguang-jun’s grin was faint, but it was surely there, and Wei Wuxian felt himself beam at his presence.

“Of course I do, that goes without saying Lan Zhan. I’m the only one in the world who holds Hanguang-jun’s heart, and I’m very proud of that.” He said smugly. “But more than that…there is hardly anything traditional about us, but I’ve been thinking I’d like…to make our commitment to one another more…legitimate, I guess, more concrete, in the eyes of the cultivation world. I want to belong to you completely Lan Zhan, and I want the entire world to know it. I want to wear your forehead ribbon everyday for the rest of my life, to wake up beside you in _our_ sect, to teach _our_ disciples, with _our_ son. I want to be _your_ husband, officially.”

“Yes.”

Wei Wuxian blinked. “Yes?” he said, a grin slowly working its way onto his face.

“Yes. I want that.” Lan Wangji took his hands, pressing them to his heart. “I want that more than anything, Wei Ying. Marry me.”

“Yes,” Wei Wuxian felt his eyes growing wet with tears. “I would marry you a hundred times Lan Zhan, a thousand times, it would never be enough to show you how much I love you.”

They kissed, reverently, passionately, only breaking away for air when Wei Wuxian winced at the pressure on his healing wounds.

Lan Wangji chuckled quietly, and continued to bathe him.

Three weeks later, and life had gone back to fairly normal in the Cloud Recesses.

Plans for a gathering of the sect leaders were underway, the setting up of the very first Discussion Conference to feature voices outside the sect leaders' singular positions.

Plans also, for the wedding ceremony of Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, had begun.

Wei Wuxian had spent most of his days in bed planning various aspects of his wedding day, though he missed his dear Lan Zhan when he went back to teach afternoon classes.

“Lan Zhaaaaaaan!” Wei Wuxian whined, nursing his third bowl of congee for the day. “Can’t I get up now?”

“No.” Lan Zhan’s reply had not changed.

Its flat, monotone response had been all he’d heard from his partner all day.

He didn’t even look up from his essay marking no matter how much Wei Wuxian whined.

“But it’s been three weeks already! Er-gege please I’m going crazy!” Wei Wuxian complained loudly. “I said I wouldn’t run around again, but you won’t even let me out of the Jingshi!”

“Mm.”

“Lan Zhaaaan! Lan Wangji!” Wei Wuxian pouted deeply, frustrated he couldn’t even persuade his partner to let him outside. “Lan Er-gege! Won’t you take me to feed the rabbits? I’ll even let Er-gege carry me safely there and back, I won’t even try and walk!”

Lan Wangji set down his brush, considering the idea. Perhaps some fresh air would do Wei Ying good. So long as he behaved. He nodded.

“Alright.”

“Really?! Yay! Er-gege is so nice! Pick me up Lan Zhan pick me up!” he made childish grabby hands at Lan Zhan as he fetched his overcoat for him.

Always one to indulge his love whenever he could, Lan Wangji bent down and scooped Wei Wuxian into his arms, where he immediately snuggled his head into the crook of his neck.

It suited Lan Wangji that Wei Wuxian seemed to fit perfectly into that place, like he was always meant to nestle there.

In the weeks since rescuing the captive Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji had tended to him every day without fail.

Every day, Lan Wangji would bring him breakfast, bathe and dress him, and stay within the Jingshi working on various things while Wei Wuxian slept, or whined.

They would play music together, read together in the evenings, even recited poetry to each other.

Most nights, Wei Wuxian woke screaming, plagued with nightmares from his experience.

He still refused to speak to Lan Wangji about what had exactly happened within the walls of the Yao Sect hall, and his partner did not pry.

He would tell him when he was ready to speak.

All he would tell Lan Wangji, was the yaogui had indeed been the enraged spirit of the Wen leader Wei Wuxian had killed all those years ago, having merged souls with the yaogui he had summoned, and turned into a corrupted and fierce yaogui himself.

How Sect Leader Yao had come to summon this yaogui in particular, was still a mystery.

The yaogui had forced its way into Wei Wuxian’s soul, but the process of absorbing his soul had been violently interrupted by Wei Wuxian himself and left the process haemorrhaging inside his body, a vicious battle of willpower that had lasted, it seemed like to Wei Wuxian, hours.

In the end, Wei Wuxian’s will remained the stronger, and he had extinguished the yaogui’s energy signature, absorbing its power into his own soul instead.

This had damaged his body, and the wound in his chest would never permanently heal, but the golden core in this body would be stronger for it.

These days Lan Wangji cared for Wei Wuxian constantly, barely letting him sit up on his own.

His worry and concern were part of his love, and so Wei Wuxian didn’t complain. Much. For the first week or so.

But cabin fever can only be ignored for so long for someone like Wei Wuxian who was used to be fiercely independent and energetic.

“Your brother sent you some spices from Yunmeng.” He told Wei Wuxian, watching him as he held a black bunny in his lap, letting it nibble on the carrot in his hand.

“Ah, yes I saw them arrive! _Shijie_ always said I healed quicker when I was eating spicy food. Good thing too, I was beginning to run out of my stores here.”

“Shall we have spiced congee for dinner then?”

Wei Wuxian made a face. “Lan Zhan, I know you want me to get sooner, but all I’ve had is congee for days! Even the dead eat more variety.”

Lan Wangji considered. “Then…shall I cook lotus pork rib soup for you?”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes lit up. “Lan Zhan! You would? Come here so I can give you a kiss!”

Lan Wangji shuffled over immediately so Wei Wuxian wouldn’t need to move so far, leaning into his partner’s enthusiastic kisses.

“You spoil me Er-gege,” Wei Wuxian grinned. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

Lan Wangji took his hand, kissing the back of it. “Mn. I’m the lucky one, to have Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian smiled, squeezing his hand. “I love you Lan Zhan, so very much.”

“Love Wei Ying too, even more.”

He giggled in response, tugging Lan Wangji down for another kiss.

“We should invite A-Yuan to have dinner with us, and Jingyi. I’ve missed the kids in my lonely confinement.”

Lan Wangji nodded, squeezing his hand. “Anything for Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian beamed.

There would be other matters to attend to, he couldn’t spend his time hidden away with his love in the Jingshi forever, and visits to make, decisions to consider, relationships to mend, politics to attend to, but right now all other concerns would wait for another day.

The rest of the cultivation world may as well not exist, as Wei Wuxian napped in the afternoon sun in his dear partner’s lap, the bunnies hopping and nibbling around them, the faint sounds of young Lan disciples training in the grounds below them.

If anyone had told the Wei Wuxian of 16 that one day, he’d be the most content he’d ever felt, in Lan Wangji’s lap, feeding bunnies on the grounds of the Cloud Recesses, he would have laughed.

Yet here he was, despite everything. And right here, was the only place he wanted to be.

Home, right where he belonged, with the man that loved him.


End file.
